Bookie Insights – Stradbroke Handicap 2018

The Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap tops the card as the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival continues this Saturday at Doomben. As always, it looks to be a race with many winning chances with two three year olds, CHAMPAGNE CUDDLES $4.40 and PERAST $5.50 heading the market. We caught up with Palmerbet CEO Grant Palmer to discuss the race and see if there have been any major betting moves.

Market 💰: View the Stradbroke Handicap odds

It’s Stradbroke time again Grant, how do you see this years race compared to others?

The Stradbroke Handicap is always one of the best Group 1 races of the year. It is fantastic for bookies and punters alike. With a big field and many winning chances there is great value to be had in finding the winner and this years race is no different. Last year IMPENDING won paying $20 from gate 13 to further prove that point. Punters tend to look for lightly weighted chances with good form in the Winter Carnival lead up races and this year both CHAMPAGNE CUDDLES $4.40 and PERAST $5.50 are thrown in on the weights at 50kg and have been racing well. Two of the emergencies OSBORNE BULLS $8.50 for Godolphin and Japanese import DANON LIBERTY $8.00 were well supported in all in markets, and punters will be praying they get a start.

Will you be taking any runner on?

IMPENDING is trying to be only the second horse in 20 years to go back to back in the race. The race hasn’t been kind to horses carrying big weights, with only two top weights winning in the last two decades. Having opened at $4.80 in the final field market, he has drifted to $6.00 and I will be happy to take him on.

Who do you think will win?

It is such a tough race. The market seems to be spot on with the three year olds CHAMPAGNE CUDDLES and PERAST for mine. They have both run well in the lead up races and drop down in weight, which seems to be the pattern of recent Stradbroke winners. If either OSBORNE BULLS or DANON LIBERTY gets a start the money suggests that they will be right in the mix. At a big price, BURNING PASSION $26 was not far off the placegetters in the DOOMEN 10,000 last start and could surprise.