While his claim to fame might be a shock barrier trial win over champion sprinter Ka Ying Rising, Linebacker appears to be in the perfect scenario to return to the winner’s enclosure at Rosehill.
The gelding has seen early support in the betting, firming from $11 into $6 for Saturday’s Alan Brown Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill. He will be aiming for his first victory since clinching the Silver Eagle (1300m) last year.
His previous campaign leading to that win involved a similar build-up, including surprisingly finishing ahead of Ka Ying Rising in a 1000m hit-out at Randwick 11 days earlier. Linebacker is set to enter Saturday’s event with the same 11-day interval following another strong trial performance. Despite a winless streak of nearly a year, the five-year-old has remained competitive in highly contested races.
“His first-up run last time in the Canterbury Stakes, he got beaten a length-and-a-half in what turned out to be a good form race. As was the George Ryder (Stakes),” co-trainer Tom Charlton commented. “He gets in with 55-1/2 (kilos), so he’s well weighted against some of those top performers on his best form. And his run the other day, he couldn’t have done any more. It was a sit and sprint. I think he was the only horse to break 33 (seconds) home, and he can’t go much quicker than that.”
Linebacker will be second-up at Rosehill following a fourth-placed finish behind fellow Alan Brown Stakes contender General Salute in the Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m).
He has a history of success over Saturday’s course and distance, having secured a Group 1 victory as a three-year-old when he defeated Broadsiding in the 2025 Randwick Guineas (1600m).
The Alan Brown Stakes, newly elevated to black-type status this year, has attracted a stellar field, with Linebacker being one of five Group 1 winners participating in the $1.5 million feature.
“It’s an incredible field and if it was a Group One, you wouldn’t be saying that’s wrong,” Charlton noted. “It’s a very hot race but if he can get a few things go his way, it wouldn’t surprise us (if he won).”
Zac Lloyd will partner Linebacker, who is drawn in barrier eight after three scratchings.
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