A year ago to the day that she flashed home an eye-catching second in the G1 Golden Slipper, 3-year-old filly English (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) looks to take advantage of the handicap scale to notch her first Group 1 win in Saturday's G1 Galaxy H. at Rosehill. Off since finishing sixth in the G1 Sires' Produce S. last April, English bested elders in the G2 Challenge S. over 1000 metres on return Mar. 5. English will have to overcome barrier 17, however, and if she is to run from the back of the pack like last time, will have plenty of traffic to weave through.
Veteran sprinter Terravista (Aus) (Captain Rio {GB}) owns four stakes wins over this course–the most recent being the G2 Premiere S. Oct. 3–and he went down by the narrowest of margins in his last two outings: when third in the G1 Darley Classic Nov. 7 and when second to Chautauqua (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) first-up in the G1 Lightning S. Feb. 20. He has to shoulder 128 pounds, however, and only one winner of this race since 1983 has carried more than 125 pounds.
Saddled with the same impost–and also dealt a blow when handed barrier 18–is the last-out G1 Oakleigh Plate winner Flamberge (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}). The runner-up in that Feb. 27 Caulfield sprint, Fell Swoop (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) gets in with 116 pounds from barrier eight and rates a strong chance off an eye-catching Caulfield effort.
Our Boy Malachi (Aus) (Top Echelon {Aus}) took the Jan. 30 G2 Expressway S. over 1200 metres at Randwick off an eight-month layoff, but could manage no better than fifth after blowing the start in the G1 Canterbury S. two weeks ago.
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