Boban Topweight For Stradbroke Handicap
- Monday, 25 May 2015 08:17
Chris Waller will consider all options before deciding whether Doomben 10,000 winner Boban attempts a rare double in the Stradbroke Handicap.
Only four horses have won both races and Boban will carry topweight of 58 kilograms if he runs in Brisbane's premier sprint on Saturday week.
His trainer wants to let him get over the 10,000 before he commits to the Stradbroke (1350m) on Saturday week.
"I want to let him just live out the week first," Waller said.
"He needs to hold his condition. We will let the horse tell us what to do.
"It is a $2 million race so yes, we would like to be there."
Boban is at $13 with three-year-old fillies Najoom and Lumosty heading the TAB's market at $6 and $7 respectively although neither is a definite starter.
The Gai Waterhouse-trained Najoom gained automatic entry with her dominant win in Saturday's Fred Best Classic at Doomben.
But connections would need to pay a late entry fee this week to put her in the race. She also came out of the Fred Best with a slight leg injury.
Lumosty, a winner at Flemington on Saturday, is not certain to make the 16-horse field but if she does, she will carry 50.5kg. Trainer Robert Smerdon's back-up plan is to run in the Dane Ripper Stakes on Stradbroke day and the Tattersall's Tiara two weeks later.
That is also the likely path for the Waller-trained Catkins who finished third in a 1050m barrier trial at Randwick on Monday behind Avoid Lightning and BTC Cup winner Hot Snitzel who has 55.5kg in the Stradbroke.
Catkins' stablemate Strawberry Boy, winner of the Lord Mayor's Cup at Doomben on Saturday, received 53.5kg for the Stradbroke while three-year-old Delectation has 52kg.
"I think it's unlikely Catkins will go to the Stradbroke," Waller said.
"Strawberry Boy will go to a 1600 metre race on the day.
"But Delectation will be a definite starter."
Delectation is on the fourth line of betting at $10 with Goodwood fourth Black Heart Bart and Doomben 10,000 third placegetter Generalife at $9.
