Racing
A Closer Look – Stradbroke Hcp
Private Eye is chasing a couple of slices of Stradbroke Handicap history this weekend.
Private Eye finished second to Alligator Blood in the 2022 Stradbroke Handicap.
Picture: Michael McInally/Racing Queensland
Brisbane's wet weather threw trainers a few programming curveballs and the Kingsford Smith Cup being deferred a week means some horses who were to use that event as a Stradbroke Handicap lead-up will not be at Eagle Farm this Saturday.
It also means some who bypassed last week's rescheduled Kingsford Smith Cup will be chasing a slice of Stradbroke history this weekend.
Private Eye will now have his first start for the year in the 1400-metre Group 1 after trainer Joe Pride decided against starting his campaign with two runs in eight days.
A modern Stradbroke has not been won by a horse the Racing And Sports database lists as a spell, which is two months between runs, although Crawl came close in 2001.
He won his Stradbroke 56 days after his previous run, in the Doncaster Mile.
No other Stradbroke winner in the past 30 years has had more than four weeks between runs.
In that time, 20 horses have tried to win the Stradbroke first-up with Perfect Promise (2nd in 2005) and Benedetti (3rd in 2007) the only placegetters and just two others running top-six.
Robusto, who has not started since January 11, joins Private Eye as the horses resuming in this year's Stradbroke.
Private Eye, the 57kg topweight, has a double historical whammy to overcome with no horse having won under the No 1 saddlecloth since Rough Habit lumped 58.5kg to victory in 1992.
The heaviest weight carried to victory since was 56kg, by Show A Heart in 2002.
Since Rough Habit's second Stradbroke win, 23 horses have run in the race under at least 57kg, seven of whom finished runner-up.
One of those was Private Eye, who beat home all bar Alligator Blood under 57kg three years ago.
Private Eye came up with gate 10 at Tuesday night's barrier draw but will start from nine in the 18-horse event if the emergencies don't gain a start.
A double-digit barrier does not put an end to Stradbroke chances, mind you, with Stefi Magnetica – who won from 15 last year – the 13th winner to start from gate 10 or wider this millennium, eight of them coming since 2013.
Robusto also drew out, in barrier 19, as did War Machine (13), who is looking to become the sixth favourite to score since 2000.
Think About It (2023) and Trekking (2019) are the two most recent favourites to score, but they are the only winners at single-figure odds since 2012, a patch that has seen winners including Mid Summer Music and River Lad, both $31, Linton ($26) and Impending ($21).
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