Latest news with #StradbrokeHandicap
New Paper
5 days ago
- Sport
- New Paper
Tiara is a great fit for Tashi
The guesswork in spotting the last Australian Group 1 winner of 2024-2025 has been made just a little harder by one missing piece. None of the 17 runners to the A$700,000 (S$583,000) Tattersall's Tiara (1,400m) at Eagle Farm on June 28 (1.58pm Singapore time) is coming out of the Stradbroke Handicap. Queensland's premier Group 1 1,400m event, which was won by War Machine on June 14, has delivered the Tiara winners of the last four editions - Tofane (2021), Startantes (2022), Palaisipan (2023) and Bella Nipotina (2024). Since the fillies and mares contest earned Group 1 status in 2007, eight winners have borne the Stradbroke formline in their lead-up, with Srikandi (2015) and Tofane doing the Stradbroke-Tiara double, a feat achieved by only Dane Ripper in the pre-Group 1 Tiara era in 1997. Interestingly, the eventual 1997 Cox Plate winner is, in name, providing the perfect fall-back option to a Tiara renewal bereft of Stradbroke form this year. The Group 2 Dane Ripper Stakes (1,300m), which is held on Stradbroke day, is without a doubt the next best traditional prelude. No fewer than 10 of the 14 Dane Ripper runners in 2025 will contest the Tiara, including the first three home, Floozie, Tashi and Firestorm - who, unsurprisingly, head the market. If anything, the statistics around the Dane Ripper Stakes as a Tiara crystal ball are almost as compelling as the Stradbroke. For the nine Group 1 Tiara winners who did not come through the Stradbroke, seven rounded out their preparations in the Dane Ripper, with Red Tracer (2013), Cosmic Endeavour (2014) and Invincibella (2019) the three to have completed the double that Floozie is chasing. Undefeated in four runs this campaign, Tony Gollan's mare by Zoustar is a deserved favourite at 3-1, almost sharing that tag with Firestorm, on whom James McDonald is bidding to equal Malcolm Johnston's 45-year-old record of 16 Group 1 wins in one season. But, perhaps, the one anomaly to that market is Tashi's odds of 6-1. In the Dane Ripper Stakes, the Peter Snowden-trained mare did not see clean air as early as the winner Floozie, but still took a huge chunk of ground off her to miss out by only half-a-length. The one-pound swing in Floozie's favour is too marginal to account for the quote discrepancy. For that reason, Tashi represents much better value, especially if he finds daylight earlier. Knockers may argue that the Sebring five-year-old does not scream Group 1 material, but then again, neither do most of her 16 rivals. As a benchmark, the only Group 1 winner, 2024 South Australian Derby (2,500m) winner Coco Sun is first-up after a disappointing Spring campaign, and over a trip not made to suit. Firestorm and Semana are the only two Group-placed contenders, and also hail from the powerhouse yards of Chris Waller and Ciaron Maher respectively. Firestorm ran second to stablemate and glamour filly Lady Shenandoah in the 2025 Coolmore Classic (1,500m), while Semana's three Group 1 placings notably include her second to Bella Nipotina for a Maher 1-2 in last year's Tiara. Bella Nipotina, who was recently retired, was the last of seven favourites since 2007 to win the Tiara. It has, however, also hatched nine double-figure winners in 20-1 shots Russeting (2009), Miss Cover Girl (2016) and Tycoon Tara (2017), incidentally Snowden's only Tiara winner. A win by Tashi would not be as jaw-dropping, but would vault Darley's (Godolphin's old name in Australia) former head trainer back into the limelight and give his Irish jockey Tom Sherry a much-deserved first Group 1 silverware. manyan@
News.com.au
6 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Hobby trainer Craig Cousins seeks redemption with The Inflictor at Eagle Farm as he reflects on Stradbroke heartbreak
Hobby trainer Craig Cousins couldn't bear to watch the standard replays of the $3m Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap after the story of cult galloper The Inflictor didn't follow the fairytale script. In a magical Stradbroke week that left the 60-year-old truck driver mentally and physically exhausted after being sought after by almost every media outlet on the eastern seaboard, Cousins was left feeling flat after The Inflictor finished 11th in Queensland's premier race two weeks ago. The Ben, JD and Will Hayes -trained War Machine ended up convincingly winning the Stradbroke ahead of Queenslander Yellow Brick and Sydney star Private Eye. Four-year-old gelding The Inflictor will be back on Saturday at Eagle Farm for a crack at the $160,000 Listed Tattersall's Mile, with Rachel King on board after his regular rider Cejay Graham copped a two-week suspension on Stradbroke day that she is still serving. King and Graham are close friends and used to live together when Graham was travelling regularly between her home town Port Macquarie and Sydney, where she was apprenticed to leading trainers Peter and Paul Snowden. War Machine WINS the G1 Stradbroke Handicap! ðŸ�† Tim Clark with a flawless performance in the saddle! — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 14, 2025 • Keeping up with the Jones': From outback to Group 1 big smoke 'I'm still a truck driver,' Cousins joked this week when contacted by Racenet. 'At least he (The Inflictor) showed me that he's up to Group class because he had no luck whatsoever in the Stradbroke. 'It was a hard watch. I haven't even seen the replay, although I watched a couple of drone replays. 'Nash (Rawiller on Private Eye) cut him off early and the horse checked himself. 'He had no racing room whatsoever after that but the positives I took out of it is that he's up to competing on that level and he certainly didn't disgrace himself. 'That was the anticlimax to a great week. It was hard to take on the day. 'We were going out to The Star (casino) afterwards and I just couldn't go. It took the wind out of my sails, put it that way. It was a big fortnight, geez I had some interviews.' It stung even more that the Stradbroke prizemoney went down to 10th place ($36,000) so The Inflictor's connections were left out of pocket on the day but ahead overall, with the gelding earning almost $500,000, winning six out of his 23 races. Cousins said he was happy with drawing the widest barrier (14) for the Tatt's Mile on Saturday because $4 favourite The Inflictor could 'float across at his own steam'. 'I think Rachel will suit him,' the trainer said. 'I booked her on the Sunday after the Stradbroke once Cejay was suspended. She's excited to be on.' Cousins said The Inflictor would have a three-week break after the Tatt's Mile before being targeted for some Group races in Sydney, although he was yet to map out a firm plan. 'If you try to give him a two-month spell then he gets the sulks,' he said. 'I've had a look at the Racing NSW diary and I couldn't really cement anything but I definitely want to go to Sydney with him. 'He'll be a better horse next prep and he's been going like an absolute treat since the Stradbroke. 'He worked enormous on Tuesday so all I'll say is that they'll want to be on their bikes (in the Tatt's Mile).'
New Paper
23-06-2025
- Sport
- New Paper
Belle Of the ball's last dance
BRISBANE Fresh from his Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap triumph, Tim Clark has set his sights on another Queensland feature. An opportunity to link with the fresh horse on the scene has convinced the leading Sydney jockey to pin his final Group 1 hopes of the season on Victorian-trained mare Grinzinger Belle in the $700,000 (S$580,000) Group 1 Tattersall's Tiara (1,400m) at Eagle Farm on June 28. Clark, who won his second Stradbroke Handicap (1,600m) two weeks ago aboard War Machine (first was Alligator Blood in 2022), has never ridden Grinzinger Belle in a race. But, having assessed her form, he is warming to the Shamexpress four-year-old having the right profile for the final major of the 2024-25 Australian racing term. "My manager was keen. He had a look at the potential make-up of the field and she is the fresh horse on the scene," said Clark. "The mares that have been racing up there have been taking turns a bit and there isn't a lot between them, so we looked outside the square a bit." A four-time winner at Group level in Victoria, Grinzinger Belle was given a freshen-up, after finishing midfield in Fangirl's Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1,600m) at Randwick on April 12. Before that, she had led throughout to comfortably claim the Group 2 Sunline Stakes (1,600m) at Moonee Valley on March 22, and she is a two-time winner over the 1,400m Tattersall's Tiara journey. She also has a good record fresh and Clark expects her on-pace racing style to be advantageous. "A few of the mares' races up there have lacked a bit of speed and she is one who is going to make her own luck," he said. "She likes to run along and break a field up. Hopefully we can end the season with another Group 1." Prepared by Danny O'Brien - who also trained her sire Shamexpress - Grinzinger Belle is a 10-1 chance in pre-nomination markets, with the Chris Waller-trained Firestorm a 5-2 favourite. While the Tattersall's Tiara will be the Australian season's last dance as the last Group 1 held, another horse, Headley Grange, is being aimed at the A$3 million Big Dance (1,600m) on Melbourne Cup day. The model of consistency made a successful transition to stakes company in the Listed Civic Stakes (1,400m) at Randwick on June 21 when ridden by Jason Collett, with an eighth win from 18 starts. The Exosphere four-year-old also boasts five seconds and two thirds, having now scored at his last two starts for trainer Joe Pride. He last won the Singapore Pools Handicap (1,300m), a Benchmark 94 race at Randwick on June 7. "Nice to see him step up to that higher grade today," said the Warwick Farm handler. "That's never easy to do in a high-pressure race with plenty of opposition. "He's come back particularly well this preparation and we will go to the South Grafton Cup next. We will try and qualify him for one of the 'Dances'." Pride was just a bit wary of the gelding's propensity to become agitated in the mounting enclosure pre-race. Trailing the strong tempo, Headley Grange ($11) peeled around the leaders in the straight. He dug deep to score by ½-length over the fast-finishingWelwal (Tommy Berry) and Astero (Andrew Adkins) another 3/4 length away in third. To combat that, the trainer was granted permission from stewards to have Collett legged up just before the field went to the track and the tactic paid dividends. "That's what was needed and it worked. He stayed relaxed," said Collett. The Sydney-based Kiwi hoop rode in red-hot form on that day, bagging a hat-trick of wins, with the two others coming aboard Callistemon and Lulumon. SKY RACING WORLD
Herald Sun
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Herald Sun
Peter Snowden aiming to turn Queensland winter carnival fortunes around in Eye Liner Stakes
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. Sydney trainer Peter Snowden hopes another gear change will do the trick for his underperforming gelding Xidaki in the $200,000 Listed Eye Liner Stakes at Ipswich on Saturday. 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. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! 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). • Warnie can honour cricket legend with consolation victory '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.' Xidaki last win was in the Group 3 Winx Guineas in July last year. Picture: Trackside Photography. 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.'' • Lipp out to fulfil $40m Lotto winner's spring carnival dream 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. Originally published as Trainer Peter Snowden banking on gear change bringing out best from Xidaki in Eye Liner Stakes
News.com.au
19-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Warnie chasing consolation prize in Eye Liner Stakes after missing out on Stradbroke Handicap
Australia's cricketers couldn't get it done in the recent World Test Championship final, but keen cricket fan Nathan Bennett is hoping his horse Warnie can pay tribute to legendary former spin king Shane Warne. Syndicator Bennett, currently on holiday with his family travelling around WA in a motorhome, is convinced Warnie would have given the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap a mighty shake if he had scraped into the field. The four-year-old gelding was stranded as a Stradbroke emergency, ending up two outside the starting field, and will instead race for the consolation prize of the Listed Eye Liner Stakes (1350m) at Ipswich on Saturday. Ciaron Maher-trained Warnie is the $2.50 favourite and looks the one to beat. He flew home in the Group 2 Moreton Cup, finishing third behind Front Page, when a win would have given him a golden ticket into the Stradbroke. He has drawn favourably in barrier three at Ipswich and Sydney jockey Regan Bayliss will ride. 'He was surging home in the Moreton Cup and another 20m, he would have won and won his way into the Straddy,' Bennett said. 'This horse is flying and we were hopeful he would get in the Stradbroke, as with a light weight we were pretty confident he could have gone close. 'He has sometimes been cruelled by barriers this horse. 'But this time we have drawn well and out to the 1350(m) will really suit. 'He can race a bit closer to the speed than he has been and so with the barrier draw we can always find a spot, rather than be chasing them from right back in the field. 'I don't think Ipswich is the place you want to be trying to come from too far back.' Bennett purchased the galloper from a sale in Ireland and he had his first start in a two-year-old race at Royal Ascot in 2023 when James McDonald rode him. The horse got his name because when it came time to name him, there was an Ashes cricket series on and Bennett always loved watching the late, great Warne take wickets. • 'We had to come up with a name really quickly and I just thought, the Ashes are on and that's where Warnie used to do his best stuff,' Bennett said. 'We thought we would name him in honour of the great man. 'I have always loved cricket and now I love watching this horse named after Warnie go around. 'I was a bit surprised the name Warnie hadn't already been taken, it was a lot easier than what I thought.' The Warnie camp believes the gelding has a promising future and would love to deploy him in a Group 1 race in the Melbourne spring carnival. 'We want to try to get him to the (Group 1) Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield in September,' Bennett said. 'But we really need to win another race to get his rating up a touch more before we can really try to lock something like that in. 'We are chasing our tail a bit with him, we want to get the rating up now, and then we can back off him a bit and set him for a race like that.' Bennett also races Phillip Stokes -trained three-year-old gelding Stay Focused who is the $3.10 favourite in the TL Cooney (1350m) at Ipswich, despite drawing barrier 17. 'He can't draw a barrier that horse, but he will be hard to beat if he can get even luck,' Bennett said. 'It looks a very winnable race for him, it's just the barrier that is going to hurt him.'
