Stradbroke golden ticket: Boom youngsters face off
From the toast of Queensland to the party poopers.
That could be the case on Saturday for trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.
Last year, the high-profile training team were celebrated in the Sunshine State when former Queensland product Alligator Blood stormed to a famous Stradbroke Handicap win.
But 12 months on, the Waterhouse and Bott combination will try to deny a local fairytale story emerging ahead of the Stradbroke.
Yellow Brick, trained in Toowoomba by the father-anddaughter team of Tony and Maddysen Sears, is so highly rated that he is on the third line of Stradbroke betting at $8.
But the boom three-year-old must win Saturday’s Group 3 Fred Best Classic at Eagle Farm to earn a last-chance saloon ticket into the Stradbroke.
Hawaii Five Oh, the Waterhouse and Bott-trained colt who won the Hawkesbury Guineas in thumping fashion, will be trying to win his own golden ticket into the Stradbroke and stop Yellow Brick.
It sets up a captivating clash in the Fred Best, with Yellow Brick holding favouritism at $2.50 and Hawaii Five Oh at $3.50 in early betting markets. “This is the sort of contest that gets people excited,” Bott said.
“Our horse is a beautiful horse and this carnival, timing wise, is great for him, coming off the back of a confidence-building win. He could be a horse that could bring a real Xfactor to the carnival and he is a horse who is hopefully ready to go to the next level.
“The Stradbroke would set up nicely for him if we could get him in.
“He has been weighted with 49.5kg in the Stradbroke and he could hopefully give it a real shake with that sort of weight. It’s a pretty enticing sort of weight and that would see him stack up well in the Stradbroke.”
Hawaii Five Oh, owned by heavy hitters John Singleton and Ray Hadley, was an eye-catcher with his last win and is now on the $15 line of betting in the Stradbroke.
But only one of Yellow Brick and Hawaii Five Oh can win their way into the Stradbroke via the Fred Best. “Singo and Gai have had a lot of success together and it’s great if we can rekindle that and continue to deliver Singo some results,” Bott said. “He is one of those larger-thanlife characters who relates to everyone in life.
“Yellow Brick was impressive first-up (when winning the Gold Coast Guineas) and it’s hard to ignore that sort of run.
“He looks a very promising threeyear-old and it should be a terrific race on Saturday.”
Fashion Legend, who beat Yellow Brick on Gold Coast Magic Millions day but finished eighth in a Listed race at Gosford last start, is on the third line of betting in the Fred Best at $8.