One Chris Waller-trained galloper will step in for another in the $3 million Stradbroke Handicap following the scratching of promising mare Firestorm.
Waller has decided to redirect Firestorm to the Group 2 Dane Ripper Stakes, where she will be partnered by leading jockey James McDonald.
With Firestorm out of the Stradbroke, her stablemate Coleman—who had been the first emergency—now gains a place in the Group 1 feature field.
Coleman signaled signs of a return to form with a Listed placing at Eagle Farm last weekend and will carry just 50kg in the Stradbroke. Despite the featherweight, he’s considered an outsider at $51 after drawing a wide barrier.
Meanwhile, the progressive War Machine remains the dominant force in Stradbroke betting at $3.10, while Godolphin’s resurgent sprinter-miler Golden Mile sits on the second line at $9.
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