Stradbroke start in balance
25 May 2019Brian Smith faces an anxious time hoping Lord Mayor's Cup winner Order Again can gain a Stradbroke Handicap start.
The Goodwood Stud graduate won the Group Three feature by three-quarters of a length to notch his fourth success at Eagle Farm, confirming his reputation as a track specialist.
Smith is hoping Order Again's win will improve his improve his rating enough to gain a start in the Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm on June 8.
"My old boss trained Yahabeebee when she ran second to a two-year-old filly called Wiggle in the Stradbroke and it's a race I've always wanted to win," Smith said.
"I was hoping this race would make him exempt for the Stradbroke but unfortunately it's not so I'm just hoping he can sneak into it.
"He reminds me a lot of that grey horse Linton who flashed home along the fence to win the Stradbroke a few years ago."
As a three-year-old, Order Again won the Grand Prix on a heavy track at Eagle Farm when the surface attracted a barrage of criticism which forced its closure to undergo another renovation.
"A lot of horses had trouble on the track that day and he staggered when he came in after the race but he's come back and redeemed himself at Eagle Farm," he said.
Order Again was rated a $101 chance in the Stradbroke but his priced has been trimmed to $51 by TAB Fixed Odds.