Under the radar but forget them not

SRIKANDI’S equine good looks and trainer Ciaron Maher’s mop of hair are virtually impossible to miss.

Yet they have become the forgotten Stradbroke Handicap contenders.

Last year Srikandi, coowned by Port Douglas resident Tony McGrath, was the wonder mare that everyone wanted to talk about and she went to the barrier as the $5.50 Stradbroke favourite despite drawing barrier 17.

This year she’s drifted out to $17 in a weaker Stradbroke after two arguably forgivable runs at Doomben.

Srikandi flew around Doomben at trackwork yesterday and Victorian trainer Maher felt it was her best piece of work in trips to Queensland in the past two years.

He insisted her BTC Cup flop was a run to forget due to missing the start and revealed she was not fully wound up for her sixth in the Doomben 10,000.

Kerrin McEvoy is set to take the Stradbroke ride with Damian Browne unable to make the 53kg.

“Srikandi has tightened up since the Doomben 10,000. Before that race I had worked her a fraction easier due to her having an awkward start in the BTC Cup,” Maher said yesterday.

“She pulled up a bit big after the 10,000 and she would have taken benefit from that run.

“Two starts ago it was a forget run and last start she needed the run. She has had a couple of excuses.

“I was wrapped with her work today which was very sharp and her weight is now pretty right.

“I always trained her to peak for the Stradbroke and I reckon she won’t be far away.”

The pressure is off Maher and Srikandi after they were one of the headline acts of the 2014 Winter Carnival.

Stradbroke favourite Lumosty, should she run, is in the same position this year as Srikandi was last year – a Victorian three-year-old filly at the top of betting markets.

Maher has high respect for Lumosty after watching Robert Smerdon’s filly blow away a field including his sprinter Hard Romp at Flemington last month.