Burning Front to face hottest assignment in Stradbroke Handicap

Millionaire race horse Burning Front will be facing his hottest assignment to date when he lines up in the Group 1 $1.5m Stradbroke Handicap (1350m) at Doomben on Saturday.

Burning Front, above, will be facing his hottest assignment in the Stradbroke Handicap at Doomben. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

Burning Front, above, will be facing his hottest assignment in the Stradbroke Handicap at Doomben. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

The Darren Weir trained Burning Front is the winner of $1.266 million in prizemoney from eighteen wins from forty eight starts with three wins at Group 3 his highest grade wins.

Burning Front is the winner of the 2016 and 2017 Group 3 $150,000 TS Carlyon Cup (1600m) at Caulfield and heads to the Stradbroke Handicap on the back of a last start win in the Group 3 $250,000 Hughes Limousines R A Lee Stakes (1600m) at Morphettville on May 20.

The six year old is guaranteed a start in the Stradbroke Handicap at number four in the order of entry and Weir is giving him a lightweight chance with fitness on his side.

“He gets in with little weight and is a fit horse,” Weir told AAP.

“He’s not going to get too many chances to run in a race like this again.”

Burning Front has been allocated 53kg for the Stradbroke Handicap but that mark will go up to 54.5kg when the weights are raised 1.5kg so that Clearly Innocent will carry the mandatory top weight of 57kg.

In early Stradbroke Handicap betting at Ladbrokes.com.au, Burning Front is marked at $17 and is one of a possible three runners that Weir will saddle up in the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival’s premier event.

Weir also has Ulmann who is well in market at $9 and $34 chance Rageese is a chance of backing up this weekend after running eleventh to Deploy in the Group 2 $175,000 Ascot Green Moreton Cup (1200m) at Doomben last Saturday.

Ulmann heads to Brisbane with solid form behind him with a win two starts back in the Listed $150,000 Wangoon Handicap (1200m) at Warrnambool on May 3 followed by a third behind Jungle Edge and High  Midnight in the Group 3 $125,000 Taxibox BRC Sprint (1350m) at Doomben on May 20.

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.

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.