Con Karakatsanis has already won two Stradbroke Handicaps with Black Piranha and the veteran campaigner will spearhead his assault on the Group One again this year.
Black Piranha, who claimed back-to-back Stradbroke wins in 2009-10, has returned to Karakatsanis’ Rosehill stables after a brief stint with Anthony Freedman in Melbourne.
He was sent south by Sean Buckley who bought him at a tried horses sale in September last year when the syndicate which raced him was dissolved.
The eight-year-old finished down the track in the Salinger Stakes at his only start for Freedman and Karakatsanis was happy to welcome him back.
“He’s the type of horse who gets into a routine and when he gets out of it he doesn’t do so well,” Karakatsanis said of Black Piranha’s return.
“His owner was good enough to say, `let’s go back to basics and to where he’s raced well and where he’s happy’.
“We’ve had a lot of success with him so he ended up back at my stable.
“It took him about five minutes and he settled straight in.
“I think he knew he was home. He got back to his old self pretty quickly.”
Black Piranha is due to have a barrier trial in the coming weeks.
Karakatsanis has been pleased with his build-up so far and says he may have a run in Sydney over the autumn before heading to Queensland.
“He will trial in two to three weeks,” Karakatsanis said.
“He will probably have one or two trials here. He might have one run here before the three races in Queensland – the BTC Cup, the 10,000 and the Stradbroke.”
Stablemates Riva de Lago, who was unplaced in Saturday’s Sebring Stakes at Rosehill, and My Destiny will also head towards the Stradbroke.
My Destiny won four consecutive races in Sydney and Brisbane late last year before his run came to an end in the Magic Millions Cup at the Gold Coast where he finished sixth.
He is also due to trial in the coming weeks.
“He’s a lovely horse,” Karaktsanis said.
“He won four in a row last prep including a stakes race in Brisbane and he’s on the same path as the other two.”
Three-year-old Reigning rounds out Karakatsanis’ Brisbane winter carnival team.
A last start winner of the Bathurst Cup, Reigning will be aimed at the Queensland Derby.
