Talented three-year-old Crack Me Up is a prime example of why so many trainers were upset about the state of the Eagle Farm track surface.
Crack Me Up will be attempting to win his third stakes race when he takes on older horses in the Listed Tattersall’s Mile at Doomben on Saturday.
The gelding has run only one bad race in his nine stakes-race starts and that was a 12th placing, beaten 11 lengths in the Group Three Fred Best Classic at Eagle Farm on May 27.
His usually easy-going trainer Liam Birchley was so upset he publicly condemned the Eagle Farm track as not fit for metropolitan racing.
Officials eventually agreed and the track has been closed indefinitely.
“I told the owners to completely forget that run as I knew Crack Me Up was much better than that,” Birchley said.
“And I wasn’t the only one speaking out as something had to be done.”
Brirchley’s assessment was proved correct in Crack Me Up’s next two starts.
Crack Me Up was scratched from the Queensland Guineas when he drew wide and instead tackled open company stakes horses in the Listed Wayne Wilson Memorial on the same day.
He ran second to Religify despite being badly off at the weights.
Crack Me Up then led most of the way to win the Group Three Sunshine Coast Guineas to add to his victory in the Listed Dalrello Stakes as a two-year-old.
Birchley isn’t sure which direction Crack Me Up will take as a four-year-old although he is unlikely to head south this spring.
“He is a Magic Millions horse but there isn’t much for him as I think he will be best at 1600 metres to 1800 metres,’ Birchley said.
Brichley said it was more likely Crack Me Up would attempt to win the Group Two Villiers Stakes at Randwick and the Group Three Bernborough Handicap at Doomben in December.
