Stradbroke Handicap 2013: Preview, tips, live updates

The winter carnival comes to an end with the best day of racing in Queensland and our feature race is the State’s prestigious Stradbroke Handicap. Join us from 3.40pm AEST for a live blog of the race.

The BTC Cup and Doomben 10,000 are normally good form guides to this classic Group 1 but the barrier draw on Wednesday just about threw all form references out the door. With so many fancied runners drawing wide gates, this race is wide open.

Run over 1400m with a field of 18 at Eagle Farm, any horse that draws the outside six gates will have to work extremely hard early. Due to the short trip, the race will be lost by many at the jump.

Like much of the season, the three year olds are all the rage once again.

Queensland local and track specialist Sizzling put on an effortless display last weekend when he won the Queensland Guineas. He comes up against the older horses here but has been gifted with a featherweight.

Chris Munce takes the ride aboard the three year old and could complete a fairytale after returning to riding a month ago after overcoming cancer.

He’ll have to do a lot early because Sizzling doesn’t possess the turn of foot required to win this race from the back of the field and has drawn barrier 18. If he jumps well to sit near the front when they enter turn, he’s a big chance.

Doomben 10,000 winner Epaulette should have had this race in the bag but has been given no favours by the handicapper or the barrier draw. Jumping from the extreme outside, barrier 22, he’ll go straight to the back.

But, Epaulette is one of the rare ones that can win this race from the back. He’s been assigned the second biggest weight here and will need to set a weight carrying record for three year olds if he is to win.

By Commands, Epaulette will be praying for a wet track to maximise his chances of claiming his third Group 1.

Your Song will be looking to exit in a blaze of glory as he prepares for retirement after today. The colt shot to the top of betting markets after his dominant five length victory in the BTC Cup a month ago.

He won on that day on one of the wettest tracks that Queensland had ever seen beating a superstar wet tracker by the name of Rain Affair. He was expected to bring that form into the Doomben 10,000 where he looked the winner coming into the straight but fell away late and finished sixth.

The distance on that day looked a worry and the BTC Cup appeared to have taken its toll on the colt. He’s been weighted well today and has barrier 11 is ideal. He was installed as the early market favourite, and you have to forgive his last run if you back him here but that late fade out in the Doomben 10,000 was worrying.

Better Than Ready (another three year old!) also looked a gem for this race carrying just 52.5kg until the barrier draw. From barrier 19 he’ll likely trail Epaulette who will give him a great path into the straight but whether or not he can hang in there is undetermined.

He ran well in the BTC Cup to finish third in the wet and ran on nicely to finish fifth in the Doomben 10,000.

Opening in early markets as an extreme longshot, the form of Decision Time must have been forgotten because he has been in stellar form lately.

After returning from a 18 month injury-forced spell, he ran right up there with the Group 1 sprinters during the Sydney autumn carnival.

In his last start he ran third in the Luskin Star Stakes behind Fontelina but was carrying a mammoth 60.5kg. Dropping down to 54.5kg today and with form around Bel Sprinter and Snitzerland, he has to be considered more of a chance than the bookies are giving him.

Last week, a crowd was gathered at Flemington for a 7am barrier trial. The headline jumper was Royal Ascot-bound sprinter Shamexpress but a grey horse flashed home and wad the talk of the trial afterwards.

That grey horse was Linton who has returned to form after a stint of racing in Adelaide for two wins from his last two starts. The trial was run over 800m but to get within half a length of the Newmarket winner who was extended in transit is a testament to Linton’s sprinting capability.

He’s been weighted well today but like other hopefuls, has drawn a horror barrier.

The winter carnival was primed for Buffering who had outlasted his sprint rivals’ Black Caviar and Hay List. It was his chance to win his first Group 1 but failed in both the BTC Cup and Doomben 10,000 under weight for age conditions.

With Buffering’s excellent record before this, he has been allocated the top weight today. The bookies think he’s a great chance but if he couldn’t win the earlier Group 1’s he won’t here with the weight swing against him.

He holds the record as the highest prize winning horse without winning a Group 1 and that looks unlikely to change today.

Of the others, Streama, Spirit of Boom, Fontelina and Hot Snitzel can all run on against this field.

Outside of form, the two key elements of today’s race are the barrier draw and the damp track. Buffering is the likely leader and he normally sets a fast pace. With so many of the big chances drawing wide one, if not more of the roughies will run a big race.

Alfred Chan’s Tips
1. Decision Time
2. Linton
3. Epaulette
4. Streama