Dick Powell's Australian Pick of the Week April 17

Race 8 at Albury (Australia A) on Wednesday night is a 5 3/4-furlong class 1 handicap. The track is expected to be "Good-4" which is pretty neutral. FREE International Past Performances every day at Brisnet.com! #6 ELM COURT comes into the race in improving form. The daughter of Mossman raced at the end of 2018 with a good second in her pari-mutuel debut after breaking awkwardly, then came right back at this distance to go gate-to-wire in decent time. Last out, for Matthew Dale who is 8-for-50 recently, she weakened late on "Heavy" ground against this class level and earned a speed rating that dwarfs this field. She has been bet in all three pari-mutuel starts and gets four pounds from her male/older rivals. She has already shown that she can run well fresh and her wide draw should be no problem with her natural speed. #3 RUBY RED HEART is only 1-for-15 lifetime, but she has five other placings and has been pretty consistent when spotted at the right level. She was fifth in a very rough trip two starts back against this class level on "Soft" ground then just missed going gate-to-wire last out on similar ground when she led to the final yards. The four-year-old filly might have some company on the lead right to her outside from post 10 and we will have to see how new rider Sigrid Carr (8-for-50 lately) is able to handle it. #2 HELCOLORE finally broke through last out in his ninth career start when she came from off the pace to get up in time going seven furlongs. His two prior starts were solid so his recent form cycle looks good enough to handle the move up to winners. Neither trainer nor rider thrills me but he is a son of Helmet, the sire of double Dubai World Cup (G1) winner Thunder Snow, and is out of a dam by Encosta de Lago, whose daughters produced 12 stakes winners this past season. Elm Court draws right outside the other speed horse in the race and should be able to stalk while relaxed on the outside. Don't forget Twin Spires' Australian Racing Bet Back offer. Opt in and make a Win bet on a single horse or entry in at least four races on a single day on Australian A tracks Monday through Thursday using the new TwinSpires platform. If you finish second, you get up to $5 back per race with a maximum bonus of $50 per player each week.