Gary Portelli has confirmed two-year-old Disruptor will be scratched from Randwick to take his place in the Group Two BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes at Eagle Farm.
The trainer has been frustrated by the colt’s wide barriers at his past two starts, believing they have cost him a winning chance both times, so much so that he also accepted with him for a two-year-old race in Sydney as a precaution against a poor draw in Brisbane.
But once the youngster came up with gate four in Queensland, Portelli’s decision was an easy one.
“The other day he drew second from the outside, got smashed from the barriers and had to drop back to last and I thought his run was very good late, he was just starting to work home,” Portelli said.
“I said to the owners there and then that we can’t keep doing this to him.
“He’s a horse that should have won a race by now but he’s been beaten by the barrier draw twice and we really need to start him from the right barrier next time or we just don’t go around.
“He’s going to get every chance from barrier four on the weekend and we’ll know where we are in the pecking order.”
A field of 15 will contest Saturday’s BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) which is headed by the Chris Waller-trained Accession, who has drawn seven, with the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Czarson coming up with the inside alley.
Disruptor heads to the feature race after a last-start sixth to Dubious in the Champagne Classic at Doomben when he did his best work late and Portelli expects the youngster to relish the bigger expanses of Eagle Farm.
The son of first season sire Dissident returned home to Sydney after that run and will be back on the road to Brisbane on Wednesday night after winding up his preparations with a resounding gallop at his home track of Warwick Farm.
“We brought him home because I believe horses do better at home in their own environment and their own stable,” Portelli said.
“The trip up to Brisbane is so much easier now.
“He’s done really well and his work on Tuesday morning was exactly what we wanted to see.”
Disruptor is regarded as one of the leading contenders for the Sires’ Produce and is $7.50 in opening markets with Accession a $4 favourite.
