Race 6B (Flemington) – 12:50 AM Sat EDT

The 2015 Newmarket Handicap. Purse = $770,000 US Dollars – 6 furlongs

For decades the Australian commercial bloodstock market has focused on producing speedy horses – so much so it cam be genetically proven that the typical Australian horse has a higher concentration of the “speed gene” than any other type of racetrack animal.

In the Newmarket Handicap run down Flemington’s world famous “straight course,” nine horses are entered to win the biggest prize in Australian sprinting, including the three highest-ranked grass sprinters in the world:  Lankan Rupee, Terravista and Chautauqua, who all come out of the same race from last November at the same course and distance, the Darley Classic, won by Terravista.  Since then, Terravista has not raced and while I do think he is well-meant this week, it looks like his schedule is set to have him in peak fitness for the $1.4 Million T.J. Smith handicap at Randwick in a month’s time.  Lankan Rupee annihilated the competition in the Black Caviar Lightning stakes (usually an excellent preview of the Newmarket) and Chautauqua came back to win a Group 2 stakes race in moderate time while not being visually impressive.

Here are my rankings for the Newmarket Handicap with odds.  Rankings going back several races in the PAST PERFORMANCES (PPs) or coming before significant layoffs are surrounded by parentheses (for example a (97) would be a 97 rating from a while back).  Note Lakan Rupee not only has the highest ratings, but drew post 9, which should allow his jockey to get into a rhythm early off of Lord of the Sky and save some late energy for the final 3/16ths of a mile.

THE 2015 NEWMARKET HANDICAP

TOP PICK #1 Lakan Rupee 119 (114) (122) (124) – 7/5 odds to win

#2 Second pick Terravista (118) (107) (109) (110) – 7/2 odds

#3 Chautauqua 103 (117) (112) )106) – 5/1 odds

#5 Brazen Beau 106 (115+) (108) – 7/1 odds

#6 Driefontein 110 (103) (103) – 13/1 odds