After signing off 2021 with 115 domestic winners (118 worldwide) the counter returned briefly to 0 only for Australis to get us off the mark in 2021 with a fourth career win.

The Class 3 handicap over an extended two miles was the feature race at Wolverhampton on Saturday evening and Australis went of the 8/15F in the six runner contest. Australis was slow into stride and so was driven forward by Jack Mitchell to take up a prominent position during the steadily run early stages. On turning into the home straight for the first time Jack bustled Australis up to join the leader and the pace of the race changed as they set out on the final circuit. Australis always looked in command as the field turned for home and Jack kept him up to his work to hold off the challenge of Nate The Great and the fast finishing Chipiron.

Australis was posting the fourth win of his career, all of which have come on the all-weather. It tops off a fruitful 2020 for the Biddestone Racing-owned gelding who won at the track in June and at Chelmsford in September as well as being placed three times, including in the Northumberland Plate. Now a five-year-old this big, rangy gelding looks set to give his owners another exciting year in 2021.