A good barrier draw has boosted the chances of the Team Snowden trained Gold Symphony in the Group 1 $1.5m Stradbroke Handicap (1350m) at Doomben on Saturday.
Gold Symphony, above, has drawn a handy barrier in the Stradbroke Handicap at Doomben. Photo by Adrienne Bicknell.
Gold Symphony is rated as a $21 chance for the Stradbroke Handicap at Ladbrokes.com.au but co-trainer Paul Snowden said that the Triple Crown Syndications owned four year old has a lot of positives going into the race including a good barrier.
Marble eleven came out when the final field of sixteen plus five emergencies was announced on Wednesday but Gold Symphony is likely to jump from barrier eight with three of the emergencies drawn inside of him.
Paul Snowden, who trains in partnership with his father Peter, thinks that barrier will suit Gold Symphony perfectly and he can see Jim Byrne positioning him in a handy spot in the first half of the field.
“Very happy with him. He draws a middle gate which is certainly a plus,” Paul Snowden Brisbane Racing Club News.
“He usually butters up in the first half of the field so he can afford that luxury now. There looks to be good speed, I haven’t seen a slowly run Stradbroke yet.”
“So they are key factors that really play a part in winning this race. Obviously your luck in the barrier draw and they have been kind to us today and hopefully we can use that on Saturday.”
Snowden said that he is happy with the preparation of Gold Symphony who has form around the Stradbroke Handicap $4.80 favourite Clearly Innocent when third behind him in the Listed $150,000 Luskin Star Stakes (1300m) at Scone’s Metropolitan meeting on May 13.
Gold Symphony will meet Clearly Innocent 5kg better since the pair met and while he has won a 1045m Randwick barrier trial on June 2, Clearly Innocent has gone on to win the Group 1 $700,000 Darley Kingsford-Smith Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm on May 27.
“He had a solid trial last Friday at Randwick. We decided to keep him at home than run in the shorter distance of the Moreton Cup,” Snowden said.
“He won his trial quite well and he will travel up here overnight tonight and arrive early tomorrow morning.”
“Most importantly we have been happy with his racing and he has had a nice freshen up in between runs.”
“He won the Canberra Sprint from memory, went out for about two weeks and he had a nice blow out through the Scone Carnival and then he is on up to here.”
The Doomben track is currently rated a Good 4 but if it were to get some rain before the running of the Stradbroke Handicap, Snowden said that would not bother Gold Symphony who has winning form both good and soft tracks.
