Last start winner Restonica looks likely to again make his presence felt when he contests an Open Handicap over 1400m at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
Trainer Pat Webster has forged a formidable form-line with this five-year-old son of Exceed And Excel, who has won six out of twelve starts since relocating to Webster from the James Cummings stable.
Restonica’s most recent win came over 1200m in an Open Handicap at Doomban on good going where he upstaged the $3.70 favourite Caspernova. The impressive part about that was that Restonica carried 1.5kg more than Caspernova, who dead-heated with his stable companion Hatchet for second place, and beat him home by a comfortable 1.22 length margin.
Compare the latest Queensland racing markets with Australia’s leading Top 10 Betting Apps.
There are a few subtle differences in play for Restonica this time around.
The distance goes up from 1200m to 1400 … the venue switches from Doomben to Eagle Farm … and the track rating is likely to move from good to soft, but none of these factors should hold any fears for the Webster trained runner.
He has won over 1400m … albeit a long time ago. He won back-to-back races at Eagle Farm earlier this year and he has won on all racing surfaces … from good, to soft to heavy.
Another clear plus is the fact that the very much in-form apprentice Jace McMurray, who rode four winners at Doomben last Saturday and who partnered Restonica in that last start victory, is again in the saddle where he brings a 2kg claim which could well play a big part in the outcome.
Webster’s stable tends to fly under the radar in spite of his impressive consistent level of success. Seven of Webster’s twenty-seven runners so far this month have come back as winners (that’s a twenty-six percent winning strike-rate).
Webster judgement is pretty good. He only brought one horse to the meeting for both of the last two Saturday metropolitan meetings … Restonica and Esjay … and not only did they both win, but they won at value odds of $6 and $5 respectively.
This time, on Saturday at Eagle Farm, Webster loads up with two runners Restonica (who is currently quoted at $4.60) and Howdoyouzou ($11), who has recorded two wins and two runner-up finishes from his four starts to date.
Howdoyouzou runs in a QTIS Three-Year-Old Handicap over 1000m which represents a greater challenge than anything he has faced to date, but then, as mentioned, Webster doesn’t travel them to town for fun.
Webster’s often go-to man Bubba Tilley has the ride.
