The Stradbroke Handicap meeting will be held at Eagle Farm this Saturday (12th June). The course proper was rated a Good 4 on Thursday and with mainly fine weather in Brisbane leading up to the weekend, Eagle Farm will be racing on a Good track on raceday.
Sydney visitor Knights Order is backing up from his victory in the Winter Cup last Saturday and he looks the testing material in the Brisbane Cup (Brisbane Race 4, 3200m). Fourth-up on Saturday, the lightly raced gelding is rock hard fit and is peaking at the right time. Team Waterhouse-Bott has taken the blinkers off for the first time in the Cup to make sure the 6YO could run the two miles right out. Tim Clark will go straight to the lead to control the pace and Knights Order could prove hard to catch.
The Q22 (formerly PJ O’Shea Stakes) will be running over the distance of 2200m this season and the very much in-form Zaaki does look hard to beat (Brisbane Race 5, 2200m). This Annabel Neasham-trained 6YO resumed with a good 6th in the Doncaster Handicap before being nosed out in the JRA Plate. The import then went to Queensland and completed the Hollindale Stakes – Doomben Cup double, annihilating the field by 7 lengths in the later. Zaaki can settle anywhere in transit and is ready to step up to 2200m being 5th up on Saturday. James McDonald will settle just ahead of mid-field and at weight-for-age, Zaaki deserves to be the short priced favourite.
Team Hawkes-trained Wild Planet could well be the one to beat in a very open Stradbroke Handicap (Brisbane Race 8, 1400m). The 5YO gelding had a good preparation last Spring winning the Theo Marks Stakes and the Moonga Stakes and was only beaten 2.5 lengths in the Epsom Handicap. Wild Planet returned in fine fettle with a slashing first-up 2nd in the Doomben 10,000, beaten only half a length by Eduardo at weight-for-age. The 1400m is his pet distance with four victories and three placings from ten starts at the trip. Back to handicap condition (54kg) will suit and the in-form hoop Tommy Berry will take over the rein. From barrier 15 (starts from 13 after taking out the emergencies) and with a fair bit of pace in the race, Berry will go forward and settle just behind the leading bunch and Wild Planet will finish strongly in the run home.
By Owens Wong, Editor
