Impending Headlines Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap
Stradbroke 2017 winner returns to defend his title in his farewell race. Godolphin trainer James Cummings declared
Impending (Damian Browne) to be in the best form of his life and ready to give weight all round to a group of quality rivals.
The son of Lonhrorecently finished a close second in the G1Doomben 10,000 and then won the G1 Kingsford Smith Cup last month.
The son of
Street Cry began his current preparation in February, but Cummings is satisfied he has held his form.
Impending retires to Darley’s Northwood Stud in the coming southern hemisphere breeding season and already has an impressive book of mares awaiting his arrival.
Impending’s stablemate Osborne Bulls failed to make the field and is the second emergency with barrier four.
Bjorn Baker trained talented three year old
Champagne Cuddles meets him 3.5kg better here. She finished third to Impending in the G1 Kingsford Smith. Champagne Cuddles remains the favourite for the other feature race on Derby day this Saturday.
The other top contenders include last-start Gr.1 Goodwood Handicap (1200m) winner Santa Anna Lane, who, along with
Foxplay and
Impending are the only Gr.1 winners in the race. The Lope De Vega filly has won six of her starts but none of them have been at Doomben.
Santa Ana Lane’s
Goodwood victory was the fifth Group One success for trainer Anthony Freedman for the season.
Despite the long haul to Brisbane, the Freedman stable is confident Santa Ana Lane has taken no harm after working strongly on the course proper at the Gold Coast on Tuesday.
“He’s pretty fit and he didn’t have to do anything major when he galloped over 1000 metres on the course proper on Tuesday,” said stable foreman Sam Freedman.
The Freedman’s are hopeful another win at elite level will boost their hopes of Santa Ana Lane gaining a slot in The Everest at Randwick in the spring.
The Darren Weir trained Japanese import
Danon Liberty failed to make the final sixteen and is the first emergency, leaving the master trainer with only one runner,
Voodoo Lad, under Chris Parnham.
The Lindsay Park trained
Spieth has drawn the outside gate. Spieth has 53,5kg with Melbourne’s premiership leading jockey Craig Williams booked to ride.
The 2017 JJ Atkins and other Stradbroke Handicap Day races were moved from Eagle Farm to Doomben Racecourse and Doomben will be host to the 2018 JJ Atkins again due to the ongoing track upgrades at Eagle Farm.
The Chris Munce trained
Boomsara will lead the local charge against the might of the Chris Waller stable. Regular rider Matthew McGillivray will stick with the Spirit Of Boom colt. “He has really come on nicely,” Munce told Sky Racing.
“Very happy with him going into the race.”
Trifecta
- Impending
- Santa Ana Lane
- Champagne Cuddles
Full Runner List Stradbroke Handicap:
1.Impending (James Cummings),2.Santa Ana Lane (Anthony Freedman),3.Crack Me Up (Liam Birchley ),4. Endless Drama (Chris Waller),5.Voodoo Lad(Darren Weir),6. Spieth(David and B Hayes and T Dabernig),7.Foxplay (Chris Waller),8.Most Important(Tony Gollan),9.The Monstar(Brett Cavanough),10.Shillelagh (Chris Waller),11. Care to Think ( Matthew Dunn)
Race Type & Conditon:
Distance:1,400 metres, Surface:Turf, Track:Right-handed, Qualification:Open, Weight:Handicap, Purse:A$1,500,000 (2017)
Full Runner List The J. J. Atkins:
1.Lean Mean Machine (Chris Waller), 2.Zousain (Chris Waller), 3.Boomsara (Chris Munce), 4. Sesar (Chris Waller), 5.The Autumn Sun(Chris Waller), 6. Grim Reaper (David and B Hayes and T Dabernig), 7.Home Ground (John Sargent), 8.Champagne Garden (John Zielke), 9.Home Made (John Sargent), 10.Peppi La Few (Liam Birchley), 11.Fundamentalist (David and B Hayes and T Dabernig)
Race Type & Conditon:
Distance:1,600 metres, Surface:Turf, Track:Right-handed, Qualification:Two year old, Weight:Set Weights, Colts and geldings – 57 kg, Fillies – 55 kg,Purse:A$600,000 (2017)
Credit: Pallavi Shevade pallavi.shevade@secretaristworld.com
