3 minute read

There’s plenty of racing action to get involved with on Friday including at Cranbourne where a nine-race card is scheduled.

Race 9 Cranbourne

Ezeiza @ 4.20

Race 7 Orange

Vincenzo @ 3.40

Race 7 Seymour

Paris Shiraz @ 5.50

Ezeiza for Cranbourne success

The finale is an interesting 1000m Benchmark 58 handicap set to take place on a good 4 surface.

Scorsese has shown solid form this prep and he is expected to jump as favourite for the Peter Moody & Katherine Coleman team.

The gelding has registered a win and two top-three finishes from his five starts this time around, with the win coming by a narrow margin in a maiden at Colac early last month.

The youngster jumped at odds of $1.20 when racing over 1000m that day and he followed up a fourth at Sandown Lakeside subsequently with a third at Pakenham.

The son of Written By has raced on a wet track on his last two appearances and the return to the forecast good going is no issue.

However, preference here is for Cliff Brown's EZEIZA, who is open to improvement having made just three previous appearances.

The filly made the perfect start to her racing career when coming home over a length clear of her rivals over 1000m in a Bendigo maiden in early December.

The pick was spelled following that effort and returned with a good second when contesting a Restricted 64 handicap at Pakenham at the end of February.

The form of that contest is working out well, with the winner and fourth both winning their only subsequent starts.

While the three-year-old could finish only sixth on a soft 5 track in a Benchmark 64 handicap last time, it's of note that effort came in a metro race at Sandown Hillside.

The selection raced from the front for the first time at Sandown Hillside and the drop to country level racing can see her return to winning ways.

Vincenzo for Gold Cup glory

The feature race at Orange is the 2110m Orange Gold Cup, a $75,000 handicap set to take place as the penultimate race on an eight-race card.

Piraeus is expected to have his supporters, having delivered some good placed efforts this prep, including when third at Randwick in February.

The four-year-old raced on a soft 6 track over 1600m that day but has since proven that further is no issue including when third over 2100m at Wyong last month.

Trained by Richard & Will Freedman, that Wyong effort came when racing at Benchmark 78 level on a soft 5 track and he rates highly despite disappointing at Gosford last time.

Scott Singleton's VINCENZO is expected to prove hard to beat off top weight, however, and he is the selection in this contest.

The gelding showed good form when third in a 1600m Benchmark 68 handicap at Wyong when racing on a good 4 track first up on 14th March.

The pick has won both subsequent starts, with the first of those successes coming over 1800m at Hawkesbury two weeks later.

The five-year-old arrives here on the back of a one-and-a-half-length success in a 2100m Benchmark 82 handicap held on a soft 6 track at Tamworth on 8th April.

Mikayla Weir, on board for all three of those efforts, is again set to ride and she looks up to partnering the selection to his sixth win in 17 career starts.

Shiraz to salute at Seymour

The penultimate contest on Seymour's eight-race card is a 1600m Benchmark 58 handicap event for fillies & mares.

PARIS SHIRAZ takes the eye in this event as the winner of two of her last three starts including over 1400m on a good 3 track at Towong last month.

A below par effort when beating one rival home over 1406m at Benalla followed. However, she returned to winning ways at Warracknabeal when upped to this trip on 30th March.

The selection came home over one-and-a-half-lengths clear of her rivals that day, with the runner-up boosting the form in winning subsequently.

Ben Brisbourne's mare has plenty in her favour in this contest and, with Alana Kelly up, she looks capable of recording her third win of 2024.