The six-year-old mare was not highly regarded to win the race, not even by trainer Peter Moody.

Mid Summer Music caused an upset to win the Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm - photo © Daniel Costello

Race favourite Sea Siren, who was looking to be the first horse to win the BTC Cup, Doomben 10,000 and Stradbroke Handicap in the same carnival, started brilliantly and shot to the front before settling fourth, letting Listen Son take over the lead from Tiger Tees and Buffering. Mid Summer Music was travelling midfield.

Buffering hit the lead with 200m to go and looked like the winner, but Mid Summer Music got a superb run with jockey Luke Nolen and drew away to win by almost 2 lengths from Buffering.

Happy Zero was impressive in third, in a photo finish for the minor placings with Buffering. Pinwheel was fourth.

Buffering ran a courageous race, three wide from most of the race and starting from barrier 14. A local horse trained by Robert Heathcote, Buffering received warm applause from the Queensland crowd as he returned to scale.

Sea Siren could only manage 9th.

It was a major improvement from Mid Summer Music’s last run, a ninth two weeks ago at Doomben in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000.

Neither Luke Nolen or Peter Moody thought Mid Summer Music was a Group 1 contender today.

Moody, who is a proud Queenslander, was stoked to win the feature race of the Brisbane Winter Carnival.

“It’s tremendous isn’t it? This is as good as it gets. This is the ultimate in Queensland racing and tremendous thrill,” Moody said.

“I’ve got to be honest, I didn’t expect it, and that makes it all the better. I doubted her and she’s made a mug out of me again and I hope she continues doing it for a while.”

Buffering is at full fitness for the Stradbroke Handicap - photo © Daniel Costello

The Queensland sprinter yesterday drew barrier 18 for the carnival’s feature sprint and Heathcote will leave it to experienced Sydney jockey Hugh Bowman to guide the four-year-old into a winning position.

“We’ll still go forward we have to, it’s the way the horse has raced all his career and the way he has raced successfully,” Heathcote said.

“It certainly opens up a new option for Hugh…he can determine where is best and he may even take a sit if the opportunity arises.

“I’ve got to hand the baton over to Hugh and say away you go, good luck.”

Buffering bounced back successfully from a stone bruise injury to run second in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 last start and is back to full fitness.

The son of Mossman will carry the top weight of 58kg as he attempts to score his first victory at the elite level.

“We’ve got him 100 per cent for his race on Saturday,” Heathcote said.

“There’ll be no excuses aside from maybe bad luck.”

The gelding came within a head of claiming a Group 1 victory earlier this year when second to Hay List in the Newmarket Handicap and also finished third to Black Caviar in the Lightning Stakes.

With Black Caviar Royal Ascot bound and Hay List on the sidelines with health concerns, Buffering looked set to claim the BTC Cup before being struck down with a stone bruise injury the day before the race.

Buffering boasts an excellent record of nine wins and 10 placings from 25 starts and has collected more than $1.4 million in prize money.

Widely touted as the nation’s third best sprinter, he finished fourth in last year’s Stradbroke Handicap when carrying 52kg as a three-year-old.

Solzhenitsyn is likely to run in the Strawberry Road Handicap at Eagle Farm - photo © Daniel Costello

The St Petersburg gelding is currently the fourth emergency for the race and is not expected to gain a start.

Trainer Robert Heathcote is not troubled by Solzhenitsyn’s position in the Stradbroke Handicap order of entry and believes he would be perfectly suited to the Strawberry Road Handicap on the same day.

“He’s not going to sneak in (to the Stradbroke) but I’m not overly disappointed,” Heathcote said.

“At the end of the day his day in the sun will come.

“The connections are not going to be disappointed. If we get in great, we’re going to accept, but if we don’t we run in the listed mile where I think he’s going to be nearly a good thing.

“It’ll be a big weekend win, lose or draw, we’ll have a drink no matter what happens.”

Heathcote has always had a high opinion of Solzhenitsyn, who has won his past two race starts.

The gelding has not missed a spot in the placings in any of his four starts this campaign, demonstrating his raw talent and ability.

The most recent victory came in the Group 3 Lord Mayor’s Cup, which he won by a length in front of Firebolt.

“When I first got him I knew he was going to be a good horse,” Heathcote said.

No-matter the result this weekend, Solzhenitsyn will be sent for a spell after the race in preparation for a spring carnival campaign in Melbourne.

“We’re going to spell him and take him down to Melbourne for the spring,” Heathcote said,

The five-year-old gelding has won eight of his 20 race starts and has earned more than $230,000 in prize money during his career.

Buffering has drawn barrier 18 for the Stradbroke Handicap - photo © Daniel Costello

Already facing the task of winning the Group 1 sprint carrying the top weight of 58kg, it serves as a further blow to the Robert Heathcote-trained star who has had an interrupted winter campaign.

The son of Mossman bounced back terrifically from the stone bruise injury that saw him withdrawn from the BTC Cup when he produced a courageous effort to finish runner-up in the Doomben 10,000.

Heathcote said his stable star is now back to full fitness but faces a tough ask to win what is the prized event of the Brisbane Winter Carnival.

“It’s certainly made it a little tougher for our horse,” Heathcote said.

“I see some of the other main contenders for the race, they’ve drawn favourably.

“Hugh Bowman’s going to have to be at his best and we’ll need a bit of luck that’s for sure.”

Heathcote also admits the 58kg top weight presents an obstacle but is confident his stable star can overcome that.

“Admittedly, 58 kilos against quality sprinters, having to give away weight is going to be a monumental task but Buffering is up to the task,” Heathcote said.

It has made the job of leading Sydney jockey Hugh Bowman more difficult who will be charged with the responsibility of piloting Buffering into a winning position.

Bowman assumed the ride on the star sprinter for the Doomben 10,000 following the suspension of Nash Rawiller and will stay on board after the impressive second-place effort to Sea Siren.

Bowman’s association with Buffering began when he rode him to a fourth-place effort in the Coolmore Stud Stakes in November 2010 and it was the jockey who alerted Heathcote he had a special horse on his hands.

“Hughy came in and he ran a dying fourth and he said Rob, you’ve got one of the best three or four horses in the country,” Heathcote said.

Buffering is widely touted as the third best sprinter in Australia behind Black Caviar and Hay List and on numerous occasions the star pair have prevented him from claiming elite level victory.

He came the closest he ever has to Group 1 victory in March when he took Hay List all the way to the line before being beaten in a photo finish in the prestigious Newmarket Handicap.

BTC Cup and Doomben 10,000 winner Sea Siren has received a favourable barrier six position as she attempts to take out the third leg of the Brisbane sprint treble.

The three-year-old filly is looking to take out the triple crown of Brisbane winter racing, having already won both the Group 1 BTC Cup and Group 1 Doomben 10,000 in her past two race starts.

Sea Siren has drawn favourable in barrier 6 for the Stradbroke Handicap - photo © Daniel Costello

Sea Siren will have to contend with a with a weight of 55 kilograms, which sees her meet Bufferingone kilogram worse off than in their most recent clash, in which Buffering finished second by a head.

Buffering himself will need to be at his best for Saturday’s Stradbroke after drawing barrier 18 for the race.

The four-year-old is likely to move in to barrier 14 after all five emergencies are withdrawn, meaning there will be just four horses on his outside.

Trainer Robert Heathcote was dissapointed in the barrier draw result, however, believes Buffering is still more than capable of producing a win.

“At the end of the day the draw’s been done,” Heathcote said.

“It’s certainly made it a little tougher.

“I see some of the other main contenders for the race and they’ve drawn favourably.”

The draw will make it all the  more difficult for Buffering as he prepares to fight for the early lead in the $1 million race.

“There’s no doubt they like to go out and lead,” Heathcote said of the other runners.

“The one advantage my horse has is that he can sustain high pressure, he’s proven that.”

Heathcote is eager to win the Stradbroke Handicap for the first time in his career.

“It’s a special race, it’s a number one race all over Australia,” he said.

“Here we are in my own back yard with a horse I’m responsible for buying with a great group of owners.”

Buffering will be attempting to post his first Group 1 win in the 1,400 metre Stradbroke after narrowly missing out on multiple occasions.

Tiger Tees just held off Pinwheel, who made a final lunge on the line, to claim the win by a nose.

Tiger Tees (center) claims the last at Royal Randwick - photo (c) Steve Hart

Neeson couldn’t quite catch Tiger Tees as he sprinted down the outside of the track and has to be content with third placing.

It was the second win of the Hall Mark Stakes for trainer Joe Pride in as many years.

“It could have gone either way,” Pride admitted.

“I saw a slightly weaker race here at the end of the carnival and I thought I’ve got to win this.”

Tiger Tees is now set to travel to Queensland to run in the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival, where the $1 million Stradbroke Handicap is on the agenda.

“He’s going to head north to Brisbane,” he said.

“(The owners) told me that they backed me in to win the Stradbroke so it’s become the Stradbroke hasn’t it?”

It was a fabulous way to end an already successful Sydney Autumn Carnival for Tiger Tees’ jockey Christian Reith.

“Great way to finish the carnival,” Reith said.

“I had an awesome carnival.

“Full credit to the horse.

“He’s like a caged lion. Once he finds the front he doesn’t let them get past him and he showed that today.”

Tiger Tees has now won seven of his 10 race starts and has earned more than $230,000 in prize money.

In fact Gollan may even stretch his star galloper all the way into the winter providing he can stay sound throughout the period.

Temple Of Boom starts off this weekend at Group 1 level in the Lightning Stakes but his grand final may not come all the way until the Stradbroke Handicap.

Gollan feels the five year olds best performances will be under handicap conditions and as a result his main autumn aim will be the Newmarket.

He comes into Flemington this weekend off an easy trial with an absolute love of the straight track.

“The main thing we did it for was fitness and he wouldn’t have blown a candle out at the end,” Gollan said.

“What we really wanted to do was give him a soft trial and get him to settle.

“It’s been our pattern to give him a trial or jumpout eight days before the race previously and in the past he has wanted to rip and tear a bit. This time he settled beautifully and Danny said his action felt beautiful.”

One of his rivals this weekend, Foxwedge, won the trial but was shaken up a little bit inside the final furlong.

Temple Of Boom is far from fully wound up for the Lightning but given his great record up the straight he’s expected to still be competitive.

“We expect him to run well in the Lightning but his real target down there is the Newmarket,” Gollan said.

“It would be just lovely if some rain came and took the fire out of the track (in the Newmarket). That would be just perfect for him.”

Temple Of Boom had a campaign from June until October last year and it could have stretched even longer where things to have gone a little differently.

Their method was to only run him with a few weeks between starts and off a similar strategy the Stradbroke would be well within reach.

“Spacing his runs worked really well last preparation. He was still at his peak in the Salinger and now he’s fully matured, there’s no reason we can’t do the same again,” Gollan said.

With the original meeting washed out, the Sunshine Coast Cup has been added to this Sunday’s Sunshine Coast Racecourse program.

Ready To Rip finished eighth in his last start in the $400,00 Magic Millions Cup behind Spirit Of Boom.

Trainer Andrew Williamson told of Ready To Rip’s turbulent campaign so far.

“It’s just been a really frustrating campaign…and hopefully we can finish on a winning note this Sunday,” Williamson said.

Ready To Rip won first-up in the XXXX Gold Handicap at the Sunshine Coast on November 1 before posting a close second in town in the $50,000 Height 4 Hire Handicap at Eagle Farm.

Since then, the four-year-old gelding has finished better than sixth on just one occasion.

Williamson is confident a rain affected track would suit the More Than Ready gelding on Sunday.

“This is a fantastic wet weather track so if it goes back to a Slow 5 or 6 that would be perfect,” he said.

“The horses is good…and providing everything’s right he’ll go around.”

The trainer is hoping to improve Ready To Rip’s rating in time for the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival, where the horse will be chasing a spot in the $1 million Stradbroke Handicap field.

“we’ve got to get his ratings up because he’s a 91 later at the moment,” Williamson said.

“That’s our main goal, but whether we get there or not we’ll have to wait and see.”

The horse will be sent for an immediate spell following this Sunday’s Caloundra Cup, no matter the race result.

Ready To Rip has won five of his 31 race starts and has earned more than $225,000 in prize money.

The scheme rewards winners of selected events across Australia and New Zealand with an all expenses paid trip to the winter carnival as well as guaranteed entry to either the Stradbroke Handicap or Queensland Oaks.

The Telegraph Stakes is New Zealand’s qualification event for the Stradbroke Handicap and Guiseppina claimed the title on Saturday.

The horse upstaged Australian entrant Atomic Force and now has a free trip to the Stradbroke open to her if connections choose that route.

Trainer Steven Ramsay says the tempo of the Stradbroke would probably suit her.

“She races best with a fast speed and a chance to unleash in the final 400 metres,” Ramsay said.

“The Stradbroke’s I’ve seen are usually run like that. She would love the long Eagle Farm straight.”

He says the weather is a bit of a concern but his claims that winter is notoriously damp in Brisbane may be rejected by a few locals.

“My only concern is the weather. Sometimes it can be wet there in the winter,” he said.

There’s some water that needs to go under the bridge before then anyway starting with a 1400m weight for age race at Te Rapa in three weeks.

In the Telegraph she was more than a dozen lengths off the leaders with 600m to go but a lightning quick final sectional saw her reel in a game Atomic Force and hit the line with a margin to spare.

For those that missed it the BRC will be offering guaranteed entry and all expenses paid travel for winners of selected events to the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap and the Group 1 Queensland Oaks.

One of those races is the Winterbottom Stakes in Perth and as this seasons winner Ortensia already has her name on the list. (For full details of the Australasian Challenge check out the feature story on the main page)

Messara says the idea is a good one and it’ll certainly make the team have a long hard look at Ortensia’s program for the autumn and winter.

“It’s a great idea, we benefit from it, some others which are probably struggling to get in might disagree,” he said.

“I think it’ll attract a stronger group of horses.”

He says the Stradbroke was always an option anyway but this had brought it to the forefront of their minds.

“Definitely a possibility, I got a phone call from the owner and he was obviously very pleased with the news,” he said.

“No plans yet, we’ll just take our time.”

As for more short term goals Messara is similarly vague saying she’s only just out of the paddock  and they’ll see how they go.

“She’s come back well and just had her first little bit of work with her this morning,” he said.

“We’ve nom’d her for a few races around the place, a few feature races.

“When she’s ready to go I’ll push the button.”

It’s news that will be received well by the BRC who are currently reporting nothing but positives following yesterdays announcement.