Popular Brisbane trainer Desleigh Forster is hoping Too Good To Refuse makes the field for the Group One Stradbroke Handicap to help ease the pain of losing one her best horses.
Forster was devastated at Doomben on Saturday when Cylinder Beach broke down as he was making a winning run in the Group Two O’Shea Stakes.
Cylinder Beach was found to have severely damaged a fetlock and was euthanised on the track.
Forster has been having one of her best seasons having won three stakes races and a Toowoomba Cup with only a dozen horses in her stables.
A field of 18 can start from the Eagle Farm 1400m start but with the Stradbroke now at 1350m at Doomben on Saturday, the limit is 16.
Too Good to Refuse is No. 22 on the latest list of 27 acceptors for the Stradbroke.
He showed he was on course for a big run in the Stradbroke when he won a trial at Doomben on Tuesday.
The gelding hasn’t run since finishing midfield in the Listed Tails Quality at Doomben on April 22.
But he swamped a handy trial field running smart time under a hold from jockey Robbie Fradd.
“He has been out to a spelling complex for some rest and work on the water walker. But he is fit and provided he gets a chance I would expect him to race well in the Stradbroke,” Forster said.
“It is disappointing that there are only 16 runners in the Stradbroke. But it is what it is and we have to hope to get a run.”
Forster said if Too Good To Refuse missed the Stradbroke he would run in the Eye Liner Stakes (1350m) at Ipswich on June 17 and the Glasshouse Sprint (1400m) at Caloundra on June 31.
Final acceptances for the Stradbroke are on Wednesday.
