The biggest day of the Brisbane carnival has rolled around, with the G1 Stradbroke Handicap and G1 J.J. Atkins the standout features on a massive day of racing. Our PlayUp form analyst has found you all the winners below.
Randwick R1 #7 Angelical $7.00 at PlayUp – Always a good opportunity to find value in these competitive Highway handicaps, and at an each way quote I like the Messara runner Angelical. She had to carry 61kg first up at Muswellbrook which is an insane weight for a filly, and she found the line hard running fourth. Her last 400m and 200m splits where 2.5L quicker than class average, and she was only beaten 3.5L. Second up, back on to a dry track, and will be much fitter now as well. The step to 1500m is ideal, and looks to map perfectly in barrier four.
Randwick R3 #2 Queen Bellissimo $2.70 at PlayUp – Third up here, coming off two strong efforts on very wet tracks to start this prep. She sat outside the lead first up and was beaten late at Hawkesbury with a big gap to third, then last start she led at a good tempo and kept fighting in a strong BM78 here at Randwick over 1100m. She is ready to peak now, and the major key is that she looks the only on-pace runner, meaning she will land on the bunny and control the speed to her liking. She gets a huge drop in weight thanks to the claim, and finds an easier race as well.
Randwick R6 #9 Siege $4.20 at PlayUp – Very good first up winner at Gosford over this 1000m distance, sitting last off an even tempo and gobbling up the field with ease to the line. She ran the meeting fastest last 200m split, and identified that she has come back in very good order. Second up, fitter, sticks to 1000m and finds another race with a very hot tempo which will suit her racing pattern. She will sit out the back and let them go mad in front, before peeling wide and finishing too strong for them.
Eagle Farm R6 #9 Maximal $5.00 at PlayUp – Was very good first up in the G1 Doomben Cup behind Huetor, finding an awkward position in running and flashing home late to be beaten 0.4L on the line. The extra 100m here will be ideal, and with race fitness now on his side at this stage of the prep I can easily see him turning the tables on that last start winner. Nash Rawiller retains the ride, and this trainer/jockey combination are having a lot of success lately.
Eagle Farm R8 (G1 Stradbroke Hcp) #7 Emerald Kingdom $34.00 at PlayUp – Crazy overs being offered about a seasoned G1 runner here, who has drawn perfectly in barrier two and gets the booking of K McEvoy as well. He is going extremely well this prep, luckless first up before winning The Archer two runs ago over Apache Chase who has since won the G1 Kingsford Smith Cup. He had no luck sitting deep without cover in the G3 BRC Sprint, so it is an easy forgive as well. Fourth up, and was only beaten 1.9L in this race last year. Huge price and i’m confident will run very well.
