Australian Racing: Milton on the Road to victory

There are a number of meetings set to take place on Friday, including at Geelong where nine races are scheduled.

Race 7 Geelong

Wichitall @ 10.00 

Race 7 Murwillumbah

Sailor @ 7.00

Race 9 Ipswich

Milton Road @ 5.00

Wichitall for Geelong glory

The seventh race of the day at Geelong is a 1312m Benchmark 0-64 handicap set to take place on a good 4 track.

The New Zealand-bred gelding Evaporate was tried at Group level in his first prep racing and is expected to jump as favourite here.

While he failed to make much impact in those two Group race starts he did register an eighth of fourteen in a 1400m Group 2 at Flemington in March.

The three-year-old suffered a defeat jumping at short odds for an 1100m maiden held on the synthetic track at Ballarat when racing first up this prep.

This son of Per Incanto made no mistake stepped back up to 1400m at Cranbourne subsequently, however he looks opposable in this event.

Symon Wilde is set to saddle WICHITALL in this contest, with the son of All Too Hard arriving here as the winner of his last two starts.

The first of those saw the five-year-old come home five-and-a-half-lengths clear of his 12 rivals in a 1230m maiden held on a soft track at this venue last month.

Wichitall duly followed up when saluting by just under half-a-length in a 1200m Benchmark 0-58 handicap at Casterton just under four weeks ago.

The gelding jumped from a wide barrier for the first of those two victories and an inside alley is a positive ahead of this contest.

While any softening of the good 4 track forecast would be appreciated the pick has placed on a sound surface in the past and he is taken to complete a hat-trick.

Sailor to salute in Cup

It’s Cup Day at Murwillumbah with the big race coming up as the penultimate race on an eight-race card.

The feature is set to take place over 1550m on a heavy 9 track and is a contest that carries Big Dance eligibility.

Matthew Dunn’s Cranky Harry is expected to jump as favourite having won twice this prep, including over 1350m at Ipswich in May.

The gelding contested a Benchmark 65 handicap that day and returned to winning ways with a metro success in Class 3 event held over 1600m at Randwick on his penultimate start.

Cranky Harry won by over three lengths when racing on a soft 7 track that day and followed that effort up with a close fifth over 1600m at Sunshine Coast earlier this month.

However, the five-year-old is not certain to replicate that form on the forecast heavy going and SAILOR, a son of Ocean Park, is preferred in this event.

Trained by Kris Lees, the pick has finished in the first two in three of his four starts on heavy tracks, including when runner-up over 1600m at Warwick Farm three starts back.

Sailor raced in a Benchmark 72 handicap on that occasion and returned to winning ways when saluting by half-a-length in a similar contest two starts later.

Those efforts sandwiched a solid fourth place finish, when contesting a Benchmark 78 handicap over the same distance at Randwick.

Barrier 11 isn’t ideal here, however, he has the trip and going to suit and bringing solid form into this contest is taken to deliver career win number seven.

Road to complete double

Matthew Dunn holds strong claims in the finale at Ipswich with his MILTON ROAD the selection to register a victory in an 1100m Benchmark 62 handicap.

A soft 5 track is expected for the race, with the pick having broken his maiden when successful in a Murwillumbah maiden over 1200m in December.

The five-year-old has made just two subsequent starts, including when third in a 1220m Benchmark 58 handicap held on a soft 6 surface at Lismore in January.

Milton Road was spelled following that effort and delivered an impressive victory in a Murwillumbah barrier trial prior to resuming at Lismore earlier this month.

The grey delivered an easy three-length success when contesting an 1120m Benchmark 58 handicap at Lismore and the drop back in distance should pose no issues here.