Kingsford Smith Cup winner Think About It continues to dominate betting on Saturday’s Group 1 $3 million Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) after drawing ideally in gate 12 for Queensland’s richest race.
Hawaii Five Oh presents as a danger in the 2023 Stradbroke Handicap field in Brisbane on Saturday. Photo: Steve Hart.
The 2023 Stradbroke Handicap field features a capacity line-up of Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival hopefuls facing off for $3 million in prize money for the first time.
The Eagle Farm feature is set to draw huge crowds of racing fans in the sunshine state on Saturday with plenty of the punters’ money going on the flying Joe Pride-trained Think About It.
Current Stradbroke Handicap odds online at Ladbrokes have the gun four-year-old at $3 to salute and take his winning streak to seven on the trot.
Sam Clipperton retains the ride on the in-form son of So You Think with the horse going to another level last time out at the track winning the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) comprehensively.
Think About It carted 59kg at weight-for-age there and will relish a drop back to just 54kg for the Straddie.
At Tuesday evening’s Stradbroke Handicap barrier draw the favourite drew gate 12.
He could come into as good as nine if all emergencies fail to gain a start.
Heading this year’s Stradbroke Handicap weights with 57kg is the Rob Heathcote-trained recent Group 2 Victory Stakes winner Rothfire.
Nash Rawiller partners the local Group 1 champ whose lead-up run had him finishing just a length back third in the Kingsford Smith Cup but is only rated a $21 shot in the Stradbroke odds to win the Stradbroke.
Rothfire was third with only 54.5kg in last year’s Stradbroke Handicap results behind Alligator Blood but will find it tougher under his hefty kilos this weekend.
He suffered a further blow drawing the extreme outside barrier that will have him jumping from 18 of 18 with emergencies out.
The filly La Montagna jumped from barrier 18 to win the Stradbroke back in 2006, while Alligator Blood got the job done out wide from gate 17 last year.
Impending in 2017 was the last three-year-old Stradbroke Handicap winner and this year the best fancied of the youngsters out to be the next is the $5 second elect Hawaii Five Oh.
Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott stole the show last year with the Gator and look to have a genuine shot at back-to-back wins saddling-up I Am Invincible colt Hawaii Five Oh from a favourable barrier three draw.
Rachel King rides the in-form three-year-old on just 49.5kg.
Hawaii Five Oh chases his third win on the bounce having won the Group 3 Hawkesbury Guineas (1400m) by over three lengths in April before his smart win here at Eagle Farm a fortnight back carrying 57kg to victory in the Group 3 Fred Best Classic (1400m).
The Waterhouse/Bott stable saddle-up a total of three runners in this year’s Stradbroke field with Hawaii Five Oh joined in the mix by Kingsford Smith Cup runner-up Converge ($7.50) and last start Group 3 BRC Sprint (1350m) upset winner at Doomben Surf Dancer ($21) drawn barriers 17 and seven respectively.
Also well represented in the event are Ciaron Maher & David Eustace who saddle-up two last start winning fillies with Royal Merchant ($15) and Ruthless Dame ($10) drawn alongside each other in gates 14 and 13 respectively.
Merchant Navy filly Royal Merchant comes off successive wins in South Australia taking out the Group 2 Tobin Bronze Stakes (1200m) – Group 1 The Goodwood (1200m) double at Morphettville.
Ruthless Dame also enjoyed a successful raid on the Adelaide Autumn Racing Carnival with the daughter of Tavistock last seen saluting in the Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) on May 6.
Other notable hopes include the Grahame Begg-trained Cardinal Gem ($12) and second emergency Opal Ridge ($12) sweating on a start for her Scone-based trainer Luke Pepper.
The 2023 The Star Stradbroke Handicap is set to run as Eagle Farm Race 8 at 3:52pm (AEST) on Saturday’s nine-race program in Brisbane.
2023 Stradbroke Handicap Field & Barriers
| No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Probable Weight | Penalty | Hcp Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x15285x213 | ROTHFIRE | Robert Heathcote | Nash Rawiller | 23 | 57kg | |||
| 2 | x413316x7x | SUPERSTORM | Lauren Abbott | James Orman | 16 | 56.5kg | |||
| 3 | 8x1810x176 | VILANA | James Cummings | James McDonald | 15 | 56kg | |||
| 4 | 5251x311x4 | SCALLOPINI | Steven O’Dea & Matthew Hoysted | Boris Thornton | 8 | 55.5kg | |||
| 5 | x6900x7302 | CONVERGE | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Tim Clark | 17 | 55.5kg | |||
| 6 | 1x16460x01 | SURF DANCER (IRE) | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Ryan Maloney | 7 | 54.5kg | |||
| 7 | 146×124700 | GENTLEMAN ROY | Ben & JD Hayes | Craig Williams | 2 | 54.5kg | |||
| 8 | 30x5L92x70 | ELEVEN ELEVEN | Gregory Hickman | Jason Collett | 20 | 54.5kg | |||
| 9 | 13x1111x11 | THINK ABOUT IT | Joseph Pride | Sam Clipperton | 12 | 54kg | |||
| 10 | 3110×62113 | CARDINAL GEM | Grahame Begg | Jordan Childs | 6 | 54kg | |||
| 11 | 76x1233x89 | HOLYFIELD | Annabel Neasham | Damien Thornton | 21 | 53.5kg | |||
| 12 | 2121×15414 | AFT CABIN | James Cummings | Kerrin McEvoy | 19 | 53kg | |||
| 13 | 1254423211 | ROYAL MERCHANT | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Ben Thompson | 14 | 52.5kg | |||
| 14 | 11×3201 | RUTHLESS DAME (NZ) | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Michael Dee | 13 | 52.5kg | |||
| 15 | 1310×38994 | CHAIN OF LIGHTNING | Peter G Moody | Ms Linda Meech | 18 | 52kg | |||
| 16 | 3x3220x420 | PALAISIPAN | Chris Munce | Kyle Wilson-Taylor | 11 | 52kg | |||
| 17 | x16161x947 | TICK TOCK QUEEN | Tony Gollan | Ms Angela Jones (a) | 4 | 51kg | 81 | ||
| 18 | 139×2211 | HAWAII FIVE OH | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Ms Rachel King | 3 | 49.5kg | 101 | ||
| 19e | 05x721x018 | ALPINE EDGE | Toby & Trent Edmonds | Martin Harley | 5 | 53kg | |||
| 20e | 28121×1451 | OPAL RIDGE | Luke Pepper | Tyler Schiller (a) | 10 | 49.5kg | 50kg | ||
| 21e | 244x146x92 | DRAGON LEAP | Lance O’Sullivan & Andrew Scott | 1 | 53kg | ||||
| 22e | 28x67458x7 | SINAWANN (IRE) | Anthony & Sam Freedman | 9 | 53kg | ||||
| 23e | 3111x12x12 | YELLOW BRICK | Tony & Maddysen Sears | 22 | 51kg |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
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