Cylinder Beach to take on Winx in Queen Elizabeth Stakes

Eagle Farm trainer Desleigh Forster is dreaming of taking on super star Winx with her stable star Cylinder Beach in the Group 1 $4m Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on April 8, day two of ‘The Championships’.

Cylinder Beach, above maroon and gold, could take on Winx in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Daniel Costello.

Cylinder Beach, above maroon and gold, could take on Winx in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Daniel Costello.

Cylinder Beach made it three wins from his last four starts when he lumped 60kg to victory in the $60,000 Op0en Handicap over 1350m at Doomben last Saturday.

The Showcasing four year old will now head to Sydney to run in the Group 2 $200,000 Hyland Ajax Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill on March 11 and Forster said that she would confirm after that run if Cylinder Beach takes on Winx in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes or runs in the Group 1 $3m The Star Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Randwick a week earlier.

“He’ll go to Sydney now and have his first run in the Ajax Stakes in two weeks, then I’ll assess him after that,” Forster told Racing Queensland News.

“He’s nominated for the Doncaster Mile and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

“It’s probably dreaming to take on Winx in the Queen Elizabeth but we’ve got to have our dreams.”

Cylinder Beach is the winner of five of his fourteen race starts with is best win being the Group 3 $125,000 ANTEC Gunsynd Classic (1630m) at Doomben during the 2016 Brisbane Winter Carnival.

The in-form gelding is racing in the best form of his career with a win in the Listed $100,000 Sky Racing Tattersall’s Recognition Stakes (140m) at Eagle Farm on November 26 three starts back followed by a win two starts later in the Listed $250,000 Bernborough Handicap (16oom) at Eagle Farm on December 31.

“He’s a nice horse who is only just starting to mature,” Forster said.

“He was a very good two-year-old but he had to go back a lot from bad barriers.

“He’s a lot more mature now and the cream always rises to the top.”

Winx scored her fifteenth straight win when she claimed back to back victories in the Group 1 $600,000 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) at Randwick last Saturday and is the short priced $1.35 favourite for the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Labrokes.com.au while Cylinder Beach is at the triple figure odds of $201.

Early market order for the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ladbrokes.com.au: $1.35 Winx, $10 Hartnell, $15 Tosen Stardom, $17 Omei Sword, $21 The United States, $26 Black Heart Bart, Comin’ Though, Jameka, Prized Icon, $34 Divine Prophet, Exospheric, Hauraki, $41 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.