A Stradbroke Handicap start is on offer for Military Zone after the three year old scored a dominant win in the Group 3 $150,000 Nuturf Fred Best Classic (1400m) at Eagle Farm today.
The winner of the Fred Best Classic is exempt from the ballot for the Group 1 $1.5m Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm in a fortnight and co-trainer Peter Snowden is seriously thinking about taking up the offer.
Military Zone scored his fifth win from ten starts but will still get a light weight in the Stradbroke Handicap when the weights are released on Monday.
Peter Snowden, who trains in partnership with his son Paul, said that he didn’t want to make a hasty decision and will wait until late into next week before declaring his hand.
“It is way too early to say yet,” Peter Snowden said.
“He is a really nice horse and I have always liked this bloke. He is getting better with racing but I reckon he is still another prep away, a Spring, Autumn horse, not so much now, but it is hard to ignore what he did there today.”
“It is a long hard thinking process to go through with Mick and Chris (Ward, Triple Crown Syndication Managers) and hope we can work something with them.”
“He is a very progressive horse, he has a great turn of foot, he is easy to ride and I think he has a nice future.”
“We will let the dust settle and make a decision in a week’s time and see what happens.”
James McDonald wrapped a winning double when he brought Military Zone ($3.30 favourite) down the middle of the wide Eagle Farm straight to overpower the leaders and record a comfortable win over two of the outsiders of the field, Baccarat Baby ($81) and Krone ($61).
McDonald won the first race on the nine event card on the Todd Blowes trained Noble Boy.
Military Zone has firmed in from $21 at Ladbrokes.com.au for the Stradbroke Handicap to be on the third line of betting at $10 behind The Bostonian at $5.50 and Trekking at $8.