Australian Racing: Zloties for pole position

There’s plenty of racing action for punters to get stuck into on Wednesday, with five meetings including four metro fixtures.

Race 7 Sandown

Zloties @ 3.60

Race 4 Warwick Farm

Bode Akuna @ 12.00

Race 3 Belmont

Gi Gi Pops @ 2.80

Zloties for first up success

They are set to race on the Lakeside track at Sandown with a soft 5 surface expected for their eight-race card.

The penultimate race of the day is a 1200m Benchmark 74 handicap restricted to fillies and mares.

Blake Shinn’s mount Pop Award is unbeaten in two starts this prep and is expected to jump as favourite from barrier nine.

The filly broke her maiden when coming home nearly three lengths clear of her rivals over 1112m at Geelong last month.

This four-year-old raced on a good 4 track that day and encountered slightly quicker going when following up over this distance in a Class 1 handicap here two weeks ago.

However, ZLOTIES is preferred here, with the mare having been set a stiff task when ninth of 14 in the Group 1 James Squire Angst Stakes over 1600m at Randwick in October.

Zloties had been in good form prior to that, registering two wins from three starts that prep, including when returning from well over a year off the track with a Geelong win in August.

The five-year-old won by nearly a length when contesting a 1200m maiden that day and she duly followed up when racing on the Hillside course here.

Grahame Begg’s representative arrives here on the back of a length third in a 1000m barrier trial earlier this month she looks up to resuming with a win.

Bode to score at Warwick Farm

In Sydney they are set to race at Warwick Farm with Silencio Porfavor expected to start a short-priced favourite for the fourth race of the day.

The three-year-old puts his unbeaten record on the line tackling older horses in a 1000m Benchmark 72 handicap expected to take place on a soft 6 track.

Both of the colt’s wins have come on a good 4 surfaces, including when saluting by three lengths over this distance in a Benchmark 66 handicap at Scone at the end of August.

While the Silencio Porfavor holds obvious claims on his return to action, he is unproven on wet tracks and preference is for Jason Coyle’s representative BODE AKUNA.

The gelding is a dual winner at Goulburn this prep, including by a narrow margin when contesting a Benchmark 66 handicap on his penultimate start.

Bode Acuna went on to finish second when contesting a similar event held on a heavy 8 track at the same venue earlier this month.

The son of Va Pensiero has shown his best form to date when racing from off the pace and he is expected to be ridden cold by jockey Heavelon Van Der Hoven.

Bode Acuna steps up in grade and making his second appearance at this venue he looks up to returning to winning ways.

Pops for Belmont glory

The third race at Belmont is a 1300m Class 3 handicap restricted to fillies & mares.

A good 4 track is expected with GI GI POPS taking the eye for the Tim Crosby stable.

The least experienced runner in the field, the three-year-old is the winner of two of her four starts to date, including when getting home by a narrow margin here in August.

Gi Gi Pops raced over 1400m on a soft 6 track on that occasion and, having been spelled following that effort, she returned with a barrier trial win at Lark Hill in December.

The daughter of Justify returned to race action with a solid third place finish in a 1400m Class 3 handicap at Bunbury six days later.

Gi Gi Pops raced on a sound surface for the first time that day and, having trialled with a win on the fibresand at Bunbury recently, she looks capable of returning to winning ways.