Jockey Daniel Moor began praying for rain as soon as he scored a ride in Saturday’s Group One Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm.

Moor will partner the Anthony Freedman-trained wet tracker Reparations in the $1.3 million event.

The Darley-owned Reparations has won four races on slow and heavy ground and Moor has steered the five-year-old to four of his eight wins.

Reparations will be one of three Darley runners in the Stradbroke, joining the John O’Shea-trained pair Knoydart and Emblems.

Moor said his good record on Reparations and his ability to comfortably ride the horse at his 52kg handicap convinced connections to give him the ride.

“Down at that low weight, Darley and Anthony’s options were a bit limited but I’m very happy to have the ride,” Moor said.

“The fact I am already down at the weight brought me into the mix.”

Moor has also ridden Reparations in most of his work since Exceed And Excel gelding joined Freedman’s stable as a two-year-old.

Showers are forecast for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday in the lead-up to the Stradbroke Handicap, which Moor said would greatly enhance Reparations’s chances of causing an upset in the feature sprint.

The TAB has Reparations as a $35 chance in its latest Stradbroke market with three-year-old filly Srikandi the $4 favourite ahead of Rebel Dane at $5.50.

Rebel Dane’s trainer Gary Portelli would prefer a good surface for the four-year-old but expects him to improve at Eagle Farm after his fourth in the Doomben 10,000.

“He will appreciate the bigger track,” Portelli said.

“It gives him plenty of time to come wide to make his run.

“Doomben was very leader dominated.

“The horses which finished in the first three were all on the fence getting the softer runs and had plenty of petrol at the end.

“I think Rebel Dane flattened out over the last 100 metres and I was disappointed we didn’t get the money.”

Portelli said Rebel Dane, who will be ridden by Tommy Berry, had put on a pleasing gallop at Eagle Farm on Tuesday morning and would have another work-out on Thursday.

The final field will be declared on Wednesday.