Australian Racing: Lunar Lover eyeing Sandown success

There are a number of meetings scheduled to take place on Wednesday, including at Sandown where eight races have been programmed.

Race 7 Sandown

Lunar Lover @ 5.00

Race 5 Hawkesbury

Saganti @ 4.20

Race 6 Murray Bridge

Katim’s Club @ 3.00

Lunar Lover to complete hat-trick

They are set to race on the Lakeside track at Sandown, with the penultimate race of the day a 2400m Benchmark 64 handicap.

A good 3 track is expected for the race, with Pacific Cross expected to jump as favourite following a string of placed efforts.

Those placed efforts include a good third-place finish when beaten just over two-and-a-half-lengths in a similar race to this over this distance on the Hillside course last month.

The filly jumped from a wide barrier on that occasion, having lost out by less than a length when runner-up over the Cox Plate distance at Moonee Valley prior.

While the daughter of Merchant Navy rates highly in this field, preference is for Matthew Smith’s in-form import LUNAR LOVER, who remains open to improvement on just his sixth career start.

This four-year-old broke through for his first victory when saluting by a narrow margin in a 2000m maiden held on a wet track at Hawkesbury on his penultimate outing.

The gelding was stepping up in distance that day having registered a couple of good efforts in maiden company over shorter at Newcastle.

Lunar Lover duly completed a double when coming home over a length clear of his rivals in a 2000m Class 1 plate event at Canterbury last time out.

The son of Sea The Moon is bred to appreciate the step up in distance he gets here and he is taken to make a winning handicap debut.

Saganti for Hawkesbury glory

A good 4 track is expected at Hawkesbury with the fifth race a 1600m Benchmark 94 handicap.

A field of eight has been declared for the race, with Bear On The Loose expected to start favourite to record his first win since saluting on his southern hemisphere debut in June last year.

That victory saw the gelding come home in front when contesting an 1800m Benchmark 78 handicap held on a wet track at Rosehill.

While the five-year-old has been unable to win since, he has recorded top-four finishes in three of his four outings, with the exception coming in Group 3 company at Rosehill in November.

Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott’s representative has been off the track since finishing last in the Rosehill Gold Cup that day and he holds obvious claims down in grade.

Fifth in the previously mentioned Group 3 Rosehill Gold Cup was SAGANTI, who was beaten just over a length when making his Australian debut that day.

The four-year-old has shown strong Group form in France, including when finishing sixth of eight in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris over 2400m at Longchamp in July last year.

This Zarak gelding also performed well at the highest level over this distance as a two-year-old and he arrives here on the back of a couple of solid barrier trial efforts at Rosehill and Randwick.

While any softening of the going would aid Saganti’s chances, he has gone well on a sound surface in the past and he looks up to scoring under Chad Schofield.

Katim's Club to salute at Murray Bridge

The sixth at Murray Bridge is one of three National Apprentice Race Series 2025 handicap contests on the card.

This 1400m event, set to take place on a good 4 track, has attracted 18 declarations, with Stephen Theodore’s KATIM’S CLUB taking the eye for Jackson Radley.

The six-year-old recorded a solid sixth when resuming in a 1350m Benchmark 58 handicap at Strathalbyn in February, however, she failed to beat a rival home in her next two starts.

Those two starts included a last of 13 here prior to returning to Strathalbyn for a wet track Benchmark 56 1200m handicap.

However, the daughter of America returned to form when beaten just under half-a-length in a Benchmark 0-56 handicap over 1200m at Balaklava last week.

Barrier nine shouldn’t pose any issues here and she is taken to record the fourth win of her career.