Stradbroke Handicap Tips & Preview 2022

Stradbroke Handicap Tips

Looking for Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) tips and best bets? We dissect times and form to find the winner of the 2022 Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm.

STRADBROKE HANDICAP BETTING SNAPSHOT

The Stradbroke Handicap is always one of the major highlights of the Queensland Racing Carnival and it is Ayrton that heads the market with Palmerbet at the $5 quote, just ahead of Eleven Eleven at $6.50 and the rejuvenated Alligator Blood at $7.50.

The last start Kingsford Smith Cup winner, Apache Chase, is at $11, alongside Isotope, while Private Eye ($13), Rothfire ($15) and Startantes ($15) head the rest of the 18-horse field and five emergencies.

STRADBROKE HANDICAP FORM ANALYSIS

Ayrton failed on the Heavy going at the Gold Coast behind Zaaki in the Hollindale Stakes (1800m) but will get a Good surface on Saturday and is six from eight on top of the ground, while he is three from five over the 1400m.

They include a win in the Fred Best Classic (1400m) at the track and trip ahead of Apache Chase last year as well as an impressive first up performance in the Victoria Handicap (1400m) at Caulfield when going 10 lengths faster than standard. He can bounce back but cops the visitors draw- barrier 19 (should come into 15 after removal of emergencies/scratchings).

Nine runners come out of the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup. Apache Chase led all the way that day and produced reasonable figures to go 9.2 lengths faster than standard. He is six from seven over the 1400m at Eagle Farm.

Eleven Eleven was the best of the backmarkers, running 3rd and comes into this at his third run back from a spell. Rothfire was less than half a length from the winner and is 1kg better at the weights than those two. The likes of Brooklyn Hustle and Scallopini made some ground, while Private Eye and Isotope were a tad luckless.

Must consider those coming out of the BRC Sprint (1300m). The winner, Soxagon, went 10.7 lengths faster than standard benchmark, which are the best last start figures of any runner. Alligator Blood was a narrow runner-up and looks like he is back but will have to do it from a wide barrier.

That race was set up by the fast tempo that was set by Buffalo River. He loves to lead and drops 4kg. Apache Chase will also roll forward and we should see an even tempo or better.

Vilana won’t be far away in the run and creates a bit of interest. He is one of two horses aged three in the final field (with Ranch Hand and Flying Crazy a couple of emergencies.

The Godolphin galloper has won four of six and comes off a last start win at the track and trip in the Fred Best Classic, going 10 lengths faster than standard. He drops 6.5kg off that run and can measure up. Startantes is the filly and was 9th in that battle, beaten three lengths. She just needs to land closer in the run.

It was a Godolphin galloper, Impending, that is the most recent to score as a three-year-old, doing the job in 2017. Startantes draws barrier 15 and for those that are keen on one but are concerned about wide barriers, don’t be. Six of the past nine winners of this race have drawn double digits.

STRADBROKE HANDICAP TIPS AND BEST BETS

You could make a case for a stack of these. Apache Chase has an excellent record here, while Ayrton can bounce back. Alligator Blood and Rothfire look somewhere back towards their best. But I am rolling the dice on Vilana. He struck a Good surface for the first time in his career at the track and trip on May 28, hitting the lead and digging deep to hang on. We can take confidence out of the fact that the stable have done it before in this race with a three-year-old and Steph Thornton can find a spot early on from barrier 8, the son of Hallowed Crown is one to back at a bit of a nice price in the big one.