Artlee gains a run in Stradbroke Hcp

Monday 6 June 2016, 6:18pm

Mitchell Bell will be reunited with Artlee for the biggest race of his life in the Stradbroke Handicap.

The wash-out of Saturday's Eagle Farm meeting means the NSW country gelding gains a start in Brisbane's premier race a week later at No.18 in the ballot order.

If the Oaks meeting had gone ahead, the QTC Cup winner could have leapfrogged Artlee into the $1.5 million Stradbroke (1400m) but that race is now on the same program.

Bell rode Artlee to win the inaugural Country Championship Final at Randwick last year but was injured when the Todd Willan-trained sprinter won the Listed Luskin Star Stakes at Scone at his next start.

A $21 chance in the Stradbroke, Artlee has had three recent starts in Brisbane for a third in the Group Two Victory Stakes won by Fell Swoop, seventh in the Group One BTC Cup won by Malaguerra and another third behind Snippets Land in the Group Three BRC Sprint.

The Ciaron Maher-trained Azkadellia remains the $4 favourite for the Stradbroke ahead of Goodwood winner Black Heart Bart and Counterattack who are on the second line at $5.50.

Malaguerra and Doomben 10,000 winner Music Magnate are next at $7.50.

Former West Australian Black Heart Bart, now with Darren Weir, had a gallop at Ararat racecourse on Monday ahead of his trip to Queensland with John Allen giving him aboard for the work-out.

Brad Rawiller will ride Black Heart Bart, the 58kg topweight, in the Stradbroke and will also be aboard the Weir-trained Howard Be Thy Name in the Queensland Derby.

The Stradbroke field and barrier draw will be finalised on Wednesday.

– AAP

Latest News

Prime Thoroughbreds - We have a Host of Leaders in our Team

Tuesday, 29 June 2021

Prime Thor­ough­bred’s cur­rent rac­ing team is putt­ing to­gether quite a re­cord. We have 22 hors­es that have raced in our team at pre­sent. Six­teen of th­ese are win­n­ers in­clud­ing the Stakes win­n­ing trio Ru­bisa­ki, Fituese and Xtreme­time with Miss Di­vine Em and Miss In Charge run­n­ing 4th in Stakes races. This sees a stakes win­n­er to win­n­er ra­tio of 18.75% with a stake’s per­formed to win­n­er ra­tio of 31.25%. Th­ese are ex­cep­tio­n­al fig­ures.   More »

Freedmans land maiden Group One win

Saturday, 27 February 2021

Un­der-rat­ed fil­ly For­bid­den Love has emerged as an au­tumn car­ni­val smokey with a bril­liant per­for­mance to win the Sur­round Stakes at Rand­wick.  More »

Capriccio completes Damian Lane treble

Saturday, 27 February 2021

In a big day for coun­try-trained hors­es, War­r­nam­bool fil­ly Capric­cio has tak­en out the In­glis Dash for Daniel Bow­man.  More »

More news headlines »