Saturday’s Stradbroke Handicap has been thrown wide open after fantasies pulled Ayrton and Alligator Blood off the track during Tuesday night’s draw.
After being heavily backed after an impressive job on Tuesday morning, Ayrton backers were dealt a blow as connections pulled barrier 19 in the field of 18 plus five emergencies.
The news was worse for Alligator Blood, who may have bitten off more than he could chew with barrier 21.
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While things were doom and gloom for Ayrton and Alligator Blood, leading local hope Apache Chase grabbed the plum inside the draw of barrier three so he could run things from the front.
With only three barriers left, Rob Heathcote was sweating bullets for his comeback star Rothfire, with barrier four still on the table, but ended up with barrier 20 instead.
Apache Chase signed perfectly for the Stradbroke. Photo: Grant Peters-Trackside Photography
Connections of Isotope then broke the prized barrier and placed the cannon mare in pole position to bounce back from a couple of disappointing runs.
Toowoomba’s hopeful and home-bred hero Soxagon will get a great pass running through barrier 11.
However, history says broad barriers won’t spell the end of a Stradbroke campaign, with 15 of the last 30 winners pulling double-digit alleys.
Previously, an 11-hour decision by rival connections not to pay a late entry fee for Moreton Cup hero Baller has opened the door to a Stradbroke Handicap defense for Michael Moroney at .
Moroney’s Victorian raider Buffalo River earned a $1.5 million field start on Tuesday after news from Queensland coach Tony Gollan that Baller would not run in the sprint.
Star mare Tofane brought Moroney some Stradbroke Handicap glory in 2021 after also winning the race with Mr Baritone in 2008.
Chris Waller chose not to accept with multiple Group 1 winner September Run, which allowed Queensland talent Niccanova to get a run as well.
Epsom Handicap winner Private Eye will carry the highest weight of 57 kg.
– additional reporting by Jett Hatton
2022 STRADBROKE HANDICAP FIELD (No – Horse – Trainer – Jockey – Barrier – Weight)
1 – PRIVATE EYE – Joe Pride – Brenton Avdulla – 1 – 57kg
2 – INDICE LEGISLATION – Annabel Neasham – James McDonald – 13 – 56.5kg
3 – APACHE CHASE – Desleigh Forster – Jim Byrne – 3 – 55.5kg
4 – ELEVEN ELEVEN – Greg Hickman – Hugh Bowman – 5 – 55.5 kg
5 – ALLIGATOR BLOOD – Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott – Tim Clark – 21 – 55kg
6 – SOXAGON – Mark Currie – Brad Stewart – 11 – 54.5kg
7 – EMERALD KINGDOM – Rob Heathcote – Kerrin McEvoy – 2 – 54.5 kg
8 – WILD PLANET – Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes – Brock Ryan – 14 – 54.5 kg
9 – ROTHFIRE – Rob Heathcote – Tommy Berry – 20 – 54.5 kg
10 – I AM SUPERMAN – Peter & Paul Snowden – Sam Clipperton – 18 – 54.5 kg
11 – AYRTON – Mick Price & Michael Kent Jr – Jamie Kah – 19 – 54kg
12 – BANDERSNATCH – Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes – Jason Collett – 12 – 54kg
13 – NICCANOVA – Steve Tregea – Anthony Allen – 16 – 53.5kg
14 – BUFFALO RIVER – Mike Moroney – Rachel King – 10 – 53.5kg
15 – ISOTOP – Tony Gollan – Willie Pike – 4 – 52.5kg
16 – BROOKLYN HUSTLE – Jason Warren & Dean Krongold – Craig Williams – 22 – 52kg
17 – VILANA – James Cummings – Stephanie Thornton – 8 – 50.5 kg
18 – STARTERS – Rob Heathcote – Taylor Marshall – 15 – 50kg
19th – SCALLOPINI – Steve O’Dea & Matt Hoysted – Boris Thornton – 7 – 53.5 kg
20th – RANCH HAND – Chris Waller – Jay Ford – 23 – 50.5kg
21st – FLYING CRAZY – Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou – TBD – 17 50.5kg
22nd – TYCOONIST – Chris Waller – TBD – 9 – 51.5kg
23rd – FRANKIE PINOT – Tony & Calvin McEvoy – Barend Vorster – 6 – 51.5kg
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