Stradbroke Handicap (Group 1)

SYDNEY trainer Joseph Pride celebrated his 18th Group 1 win on Saturday thanks to an impressive win by the So You Think gelding Think About It in the A$3 million Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Sent out a $3.60 favourite off the back of six straight wins, Think About It emerged from the midfield on straightening to cruise down the centre of the track and post a comfortable two-length win giving Sam Clipperton a perfect record aboard the horse in his seven starts this year.

“I’m quite speechless,” said Clipperton. “I’m just very lucky to have the opportunity on this horse and I never think the morning of his races of his winning streak.

“It is hard to ignore but I just purely and simply ride the horse on feel, and the feel he gives me is like no horse has ever given me.”

Second to Think About It was the Queensland-trained Rothesay gelding Rothfire ahead of the three-year-old I Am Invincible colt Hawaii Five Oh.

Exuberant

Joe Pride was an exuberant figure after the race, especially with the race’s reputation as a graveyard for favourites.

“The pressure was on. It can’t be much more special than this. Every trainer wants a Winx or a Black Caviar; I’m not saying he’s them but he’s trending in the right direction,” said Pride, who outlined the Everest as a spring launchpad for Think About It who has the Newgate Farm slot.

“I’ve waited a long time for a horse like this. Bring on anything for this horse. I just don’t know where his ceiling is, he’s amazing.

“I’d love to see how far he can run but first thing’s first; the Everest slot. The Everest is there in the spring and it’s hard to imagine him not running well.”

TWO starts at Kembla Grange is not your standard platform into Group 1 racing but it worked for the most in-form stable in the country this weekend.

Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, having trained 293 Australian winners so far this season, added an 11th Group 1 win for the season following King Colorado’s win in the J.J. Atkins over 1,600 metres for juveniles.

An in utero arrival to Australia via his dam More Aspen and raced by a syndicate that includes his breeder Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, the Kingman colt ran down Snapback with 150m to run, remaining strong to the line to hold out the Dundeel filly Miracle Of Love by a length as another Dundeel, the colt Tannhauser, claimed third.

“He’s really well-bred, he’s a son of Kingman,” said Maher. “He’s just started to do things right. I know it was only a maiden win last start, but early on in his trials, he used to do things wrong. He used to light up and switch off.

“We thought he would run the trip. We had a roll at the stumps. (Jockey) Jason Collet, an unbelievable ride. He was back further than I thought. I was cursing him early, but the team did a fantastic job.

“This year has been unbelievable, and I’m very proud of them.”

As a result, it was no surprise to see the six-year-old Teofilo gelding sent out a short-priced favourite for the Q22, a A$1.2 million 2,200 metre Group 2 at Eagle Farm. Ridden by Mark Zahra for Anthony and Sam Freedman, the former Simon and Ed Crisford-trained Silver Cup Stakes winner at York, produced a scintillating run as the widest chance at the top of the straight.

With the race firmly in hand 200m out, Without A Fight was eased down winning by two lengths from the Rebel Raider gelding Nonconformist and the 2022 Australian Cup winning mare Duais, by Shamus Award.

Caulfield

Remaining in Australia after he finished 13th in the Melbourne Cup by his owner Sheikh Mohammed Obaid al Maktoum, Without A Fight looks set to prepare for the Caulfield Cup in the spring.

“He went and had some surgery, and he’s come back really well,” said Anthony Freedman. “Previously he was on-pace, but we’ve turned that around. He looks like he’s got a bright future.

“He’ll have a spell (in Queensland), go home, and we’ll see how he goes in the spring. He’ll have up to a month off and then probably look at the Caulfield Cup and see where we end up.

“It’s only June, so it’s a bit early to be talking about the Melbourne Cup. We’ll see what happens.”

SELINO, the 2020 Doncaster Cup runner-up when trained by James Fanshawe, has recaptured that form to claim his second feature 3,200m Australian handicap.

Winless in over two years, his last being in the 2021 Sydney Cup, the Champs Elysees gelding rectified that with a well taken victory in the Group 2 Brisbane Cup at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Ridden by Nash Rawiller for Chris Waller, Selino defeated the Declaration Of War gelding Warning and the French-bred Masked Marvel gelding True Marvel.

“I’ve been keen to ride him a few times where he’s run super races, but he hasn’t got my weight, so I don’t know, he might make the Melbourne Cup now,” said Nash Rawiller.

“He was the best stayer and the best turned out in the race, and he’s got the job done. One thing is for sure it does keep the dream of the Melbourne Cup alive. It has been a while since he’s won.

Show fight

“It’s not like he does it the easy way. He makes you work every bit of the two miles. I was really happy to see him show that fight that he showed late. Full credit to the team, and he’s obviously a special horse to everyone.”

Eighth in the 2021 Melbourne Cup, sustaining a tendon injury in the process, then not racing again until February this year, Selino carries the well-known navy blue and gold hoops of OTI racing.

“It has been a long story, and a lot of friends involved are in the ownership as well,” said Chris Waller. “He’s a genuine two-miler and illustrated that. He ran in a Sydney Cup, he ran well in a Melbourne Cup, and his run in the Sydney Cup (sixth) this year was good.

“It has just been trying to find races to get fit for a Brisbane Cup, so he has been from Melbourne and back.”

A FRANKEL filly has become the most expensive weanling sold at auction in the southern hemisphere this year selling for A$825,000 at the Inglis Great Southern Sale in Melbourne.

The filly, the first foal of the Invincible Spirit mare Vedema, was knocked down to Mitchell Bloodstock having been offered by Burnewang Pastoral.

“I thought we were done about two or three times but he stuck to his guns and had that one last bid,” said James Mitchell who was buying on behalf of Stephen Spiteri.

“I thought we’d be paying between five and six hundred (thousand dollars) for her but Stephen was making the calls, and at the end of the day we’re thrilled to have bought her.”

Overall, a catalogue of 380 select weanlings sold at a clearance rate of 70% at an average of $44,863 with another Frankel filly, the second top lot, selling for A$475,000.