Last Saturday’s Doomben winner Bonny O’Reilly is still in danger of missing a start in the Group 1 $1.5m Stradbroke Handicap (1350m) at Doomben this weekend.
Bonny O’Reilly, above, is no certainty to make the field for the Stradbroke Handicap at Doomben. Photo by Steve Hart.
Bonny O’Reilly failed to get a penalty for winning the Listed $100,000 IPG Marketing Solutions Helen Coughlan Stakes (1200m) but her rating was increased from 87.5 to 96 which lifted her to number nineteen in the order of entry for the Stradbroke Handicap.
The Stradbroke Handicap will be limited to sixteen runners plus five emergencies when the final field is released on Wednesday and Bonny O’Reilly at this stage looks likely to be the second emergency with seventeenth place Eckstein likely to be saved for the Group 1 $500,000 Sky Racing Tattersall’s Tiara (1350m) at Doomben on June 24.
Connections of the Bjorn Baker trained filly are keen to run her against the older horses if she can force her way into the field.
“If she makes the field we’d love to have a crack because she’s a very talented mare who has come through the grades to win five in a row now,” said Jack Bruce who representing trainer Bjorn Baker,
“The way she races she can put herself handy and sprint off a quick tempo.
“Bjorn’s been very happy with her and he’s very confident to push on next week if she gets a run.”
“She’s bigger and stronger now than she’s ever been and horses like her who get into the Stradbroke with a light weight are often good chances and I think she profiles correctly for the race.”
Bonny O’Reilly has been allocated 52kg for the Stradbroke Handicap but that mark will go up to 53.5kg when the weights are raised 1.5kg so that Clearly Innocent will carry the mandatory top weight of 57kg.
Last Saturday’s win was Bonny O’Reilly’s seventh from nine starts and her fifth in a row but she will be making a huge class rise from Listed grade to Group 1 level if she gains a start in the Stradbroke Handicap.
Bonny O’Reilly is currently rated a $15 chance at Ladbrokes.com.au for the Stradbroke Handicap and Baker will also saddle up Egyptian Symbol who is marked at $17.
The Kris Lees trained Clearly Innocent cemented his place at the top of the market order at $4 with his dominant win in the Group 1 $700,000 Darley Kingsford-Smith Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm on May 27.
Early market order for the Stradbroke Handicap at Ladbrokes.com.au: $4 Clearly Innocent, $7.50 Counterattack, $8 Derryn, $9 Ulmann, $10 Impending, $13 Jungle Edge, Mackintosh, $15 Bonny O’Reilly, In Her Time, $17 Burning Front, Egyptian Symbol, $21 Gold Symphony, $26 Good Project, Hooked, The Virginian, $34 or better the rest.
