Trainer Peter Snowden banking on gear change bringing out best from Xidaki in Eye Liner Stakes
The Ciaron Maher -trained Warnie ($2.40) is definitely the horse to beat in the 1350m race but Xidaki poses a genuine threat if he can rediscover the form that led to his last victory, in the $300,000 Group 3 Winx Guineas (1600m) at Caloundra last July.
Snowden decided to put a cross-over nose band on the gelding this campaign because the four-year-old was 'over-racing badly' but the results have been lacklustre.
Xidaki finished seventh in the Group 3 Hall Mark Stakes (1200m) at Randwick in April, ninth in the Listed Takeover Target Stakes (1200m) at Gosford on May 10 and seventh in the Group 3 BRC Sprint (1350m) at Doomben two weeks later.
He is rated as a $7.50 chance in the Eye Liner Stakes behind Warnie and the Tony Gollan -trained Devastate ($7).
'I've had a cross-over noseband on him this time in because he was struggling last time in and I felt it cost him a couple of races,'' Snowden said.
'But it seems he has been resenting it this preparation because he's been getting too far back in his races.
'So I've taken the noseband off for Saturday and hope he can settle closer in the run.
'Ipswich is a track where you have to stay positive and he has drawn five. I don't want him to get too far back from there.
'I'm confident he has the tactical speed to be in the first five or six in the run.
'He's going great at home and I can't believe he won't be running well on what he has been showing me in his trackwork.'
Lindsay Park star War Machine emphatically won the BRC Sprint before impressively taking out the $3m Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) three weeks later at Eagle Farm.
Xidaki crossed the winning post almost five lengths behind War Machine in the BRC Sprint but on the bright side, Snowden was pleased with how his galloper hit the line.
'He got too far back last start and had a lot of work to do but he was one of those finishing hardest late,'' Snowden said.
'The horse that won it (War Machine) went on to win the Stradbroke Handicap.
'If he can hold his spot on Saturday it will go a long way to helping his chances at Ipswich.''
It will also comfort Snowden knowing that Xidaki was a narrow runner-up to Ostraka in the $1m Group 3 Silver Eagle (1300m) at Randwick last October but finished ahead of the Ben, Will and JD Hayes -trained War Machine.
It's fair to say that Snowden is due for some luck in this Queensland winter carnival.
His mare Tashi has twice just missed the chocolates - in the Listed Helen Coughlan Stakes (1200m) and Group 2 Dane Ripper Stakes (1300m) - while the appropriately named gelding Need Some Luck finished half a length behind winner Compelling Truth in the Listed Hinkler Handicap (1200m) last Saturday at Eagle Farm.
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