Srikandi has shown she is on target for another crack at Queensland winter carnival riches with a barrier trial win at Cranbourne.
The Ciaron Maher-trained four-year-old has not raced since last year’s winter carnival when her successful Queensland campaign culminated in a Group One placing in the Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm.
The Victorian mare will head north again in search of Group One success and will kick off her campaign at the Gold Coast on April 25.
The Group Two weight-for-age Victory Stakes and Listed Silk Stocking for fillies and mares are options that day, with her program then geared to the BTC Cup, Doomben 10,000, Stradbroke Handicap and Tatt’s Tiara at Group One level.
“We’ll just try to notch a Group One with her, that’s the plan,” Maher said.
Srikandi had an easy barrier trial at Geelong at the end of last month and cruised to a three-quarter length win in an 800m heat at Cranbourne on Tuesday.
“She’s nice and bright in the coat and the eye and her work has been progressively better,” Maher said.
Srikandi’s spring campaign was aborted when she was found to have a virus and attention shifted to the winter carnival again.
“She did well on those tracks up there and seemed to enjoy that time of year so we thought we’d target it again,” Maher said.
Srikandi won the Listed Silk Stocking Stakes and Juanmo Stakes, and the Group Three Glenlogan Park Stakes in Queensland last year before her third as favourite in the Stradbroke.
This year’s $2 million Stradbroke is at Doomben with Eagle Farm undergoing renovations.
