The stellar crop of three-year-olds looks set to complete its domination over the older horses this season in Saturday’s Stradbroke Handicap.
The $1.36 million Stradbroke (1400m) is the final Australian Group One open to all ages and sexes for the season, and three-year-olds hold the top four spots in betting for Queensland’s premier sprint.
Your Song - Photo by Daniel Costello
Epaulette and Your Song have already defeated the older horses at Group One level this campaign and Sizzling and Better Than Ready will be vying to get on the list.
There have been eight individual three-year-olds to win a Group One against older horses this year, with the now retired All Too Hard successful at weight-for-age three times and Pierro twice.
Sizzling, on the back of his Queensland Guineas win on Saturday, heads the market for the Stradbroke ahead of Doomben 10,000 winner Epaulette.
Better Than Ready and Your Song, the BTC Cup winner who will be having his final start before being prepared for a stud career, share the third line of betting.
Craig Newitt has already had success aboard Royal Ascot-bound three-year-old Shamexpress in the Newmarket this year and hopes to add another feature handicap on Saturday after picking up the ride on Better Than Ready.
“He’ll be very hard to beat with 52-1/2 kilos,” Newitt said.
“He meets a lot of them a lot better at the weights. His run the other day (in the Doomben 10,000) was good and he’s probably looking for the 1400 metres now.
“The only query is probably how much rain they get, but he’s got to be a leading chance.”
Better Than Ready, who holds the 1200m record at Randwick, finished 3-3/4 lengths behind Epaulette when fifth in the Doomben 10,000 (1350m) but meets him and runner-up Buffering 3.5kg better at the weights.
Sizzling, meanwhile, has not been penalised for his Queensland Guineas win and has 52kg with Chris Munce to ride.
Trainer Kelso Wood said the colt, a Group One winner on the corresponding program last year, had come through his win on Saturday well.
“I think the race will suit him,” Wood told RSN radio.
“There should be a lot more speed on in the race than there was on Saturday so that will suit him.”
The Tattersall’s Tiara for fillies and mares later this month is the only Group One left this season after Saturday’s three features – the Stradbroke, Queensland Derby and JJ Atkins Stakes.
