Up north, a small field of seven has accepted for the Victory Stakes (Race 6) over 1200m at Eagle Farm.
Connections of favourite Music Magnate will have one eye on the skies after coming across some unsuitable track conditions during the recent autumn carnival in Sydney.
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The reigning Doomben 10,000 winner really struggled through the slush when finishing well down the track in the Galaxy on Slipper Day.
He has plenty of class on his side though and it might pay to put a line through that run, given the scarcity of opposition he encounters here.
Second pick Takedown comes off a particularly flat first-up run behind Redzel in the Hall Mark Stakes, where he only beat one runner home having had every opportunity to make an impression.
He’s another horse who does his best racing on firmer surfaces, however trainer Gary Moore hinted earlier this week he would still need at least one more run before hitting his peak as the camp gear up for a tilt at some Group 1 sprints over the coming weeks.
The race also represents an acid test for Barry Lockwood’s Tumbler, who has built up an impressive record of six wins from just seven starts, but is untried at this level.
Settling worse than midfield, the mare took a little while to wind up, but was eventually able to overwhelm Straturbo at Doomben recently.
However, with no obvious early speed battle here, it’s questionable whether she’ll be able to spot the two favourites much of a start and at the prices, we’re happy to oppose her.
Of the others, trainer James Cummings is still weighing up his options with Good Standing having also nominated the horse for the Hawkesbury Guineas.
He looks a capable colt and eased through his most recent trial, but might find a couple of these too nippy over the six furlongs.
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TIPS:
- Music Magnate
- Takedown
- Tumbler
- Good Standing
