Modella staying in NSW for Group 3 Hawkesbury Guineas instead of travelling to Queensland
Trainer Lee Curtis is hopeful the decision to keep untapped filly Modella closer to home for Saturday's Group 3 $250,000 Hawkesbury Guineas (1400m) can lead to a potential Group 1 Brisbane winter carnival raid.
Curtis, who trains alongside his wife Cherie, nominated Modella for Hawkesbury's stand-alone meeting as well as Brisbane's Group 2 $350,000 Queensland Guineas (1600m) at Eagle Farm on the same day.
'We have decided to stay here,' Curtis said.
'We just think she was a bit keen last start (in the James Carr) so have changed a bit of gear with her and she has been working quite well in that.
'We want to try her at the 1400m and then if all goes well and she runs well, we will look to go up to Queensland.
'She could end up in a Stradbroke or an (Queensland) Oaks or The Roses, I just don't know and we just want to get through this weekend before.'
A three-year-old daughter of Castelvecchio, Modella has the option of heading on a fillies' Classic path or being kept over the shorter trips.
The Curtis's plan to have her among the nominations for the Stradbroke Handicap, which was won last year by a three-year-old filly when Stefi Magnetica put her name up in lights.
The Hawkesbury Guineas is a proven stepping stone for future Group 1 horses with last year's winner Schwarz going on to claim the William Reid Stakes earlier this year.
Modella, rated a $15, was among 23 nominations for the Hawkesbury Guineas alongside Snitzanova ($4.50 favourite), Emirate ($6.50) and Just Party ($6.50).
The final field is set to be revealed on Wednesday morning.
James McDonald breaks through for his first of the afternoon with Lilac for @ANeashamRacing. @mcacajamez pic.twitter.com/7FBjANYkPl
— 7HorseRacing ðŸ�Ž (@7horseracing) April 19, 2025
• 'Got to aim high': Flying filly has Stradbroke in sights
Modella was beaten but far from disgraced in her first crack in stakes grade last start when she was trapped three deep but battled on for fifth in the Group 3 James HB Carr Stakes (1400m) at Royal Randwick.
'She got caught deep and then the pace went out of the race so everything went against her,' Curtis said.
'But the run in itself was huge.
'She is going good and her work on Tuesday morning was good so she is on target and we've just got to wait to see if she draws a barrier.
'But if she was to draw badly, we probably wouldn't even run her because we don't want to go through (last start) again.'
Meanwhile, Curtis confirmed exciting filly Bauhinia has returned to work to begin preparing for the Sydney spring carnival.
Bauhinia hasn't raced since finishing down the track in the $3m Magic Millions Guineas in January with the stable planning a slow build up towards her return.
A date with the $10m Golden Eagle is among the options available to Bauhinia in the spring.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Bond 007 mates will be shaken and stirred if The Inflictor wins Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap on Saturday
The members of syndicate Bond 007 will be both shaken and stirred if The Inflictor can complete a fairytale story and win Saturday's $3m Stradbroke Handicap. The seven mates are living the dream, with the four-year-old gelding making the Stradbroke field after last December winning the $300,000 The Gateway, which offers a golden ticket into Queensland's premier race. Some members of Bond 007 had placed bets on The Inflictor at $201 for the Stradbroke after his The Gateway victory and will collect a small fortune if jockey Cejay Graham can win her first Group 1 on Saturday at Eagle Farm. And that's not even mentioning the $1.8m cheque which will be shared among connections of the winning horse. 'We're just pinching ourselves that we're even here really,' syndicate member Jim Matthews said at the Breakfast at the Stars at Eagle Farm on a chilly Brisbane morning on Tuesday. 'It's a dream just to have a runner in a Group 1. Whatever he does on the weekend is a bonus but we think he'll run well. 'It's the biggest race in Queensland. It's crazy to even think about it.' The Bond 007 members are good mates from way back, having played and coached together for the Moreton Bay AFL club (formerly Caboolture Lions) some 20 years ago. Just like The Inflictor's trainer Craig Cousins, they're Aussie battlers riding a wave of emotion built on a passion for horse racing and a love of the punt. 'We all played footy together 15 or 20 years ago and everyone was into a punt on a Saturday,' Matthews said. 'Over time we said 'why don't we chip in and get into horse racing?' 'We started with seven in the syndicate which is why we called it Bond 007.' Asked about the wild celebrations if The Inflictor can win the biggest race of his career, syndicate leader Shane Pleming joked that it could be a heart-stopping affair. 'I don't know what will happen. One of us already has a heart problem but the rest of us, we might all drop dead in the stands,' Pleming said with a laugh. 'But look, he's a stunning horse and he keeps getting better. It's easy to train a good horse and Craig has done a great job because he looks magnificent. 'We're right in it because they're all talking about the favourite (War Machine) but we ran just as good a time carrying 61.5kg and he carried only 56.5kg on the same day at Doomben (on May 24).' Hobby trainer and truck driver Cousins, who only has three horses in work, would deliver one of the great Stradbroke stories if he can win on Saturday. 'He's just a decent bloke,' syndicate member John Jeffrey said. 'He's a battler and happy to admit it but he does a good job because the horse always looks well and he races well. 'It'd be a fairytale, there's no doubt about it. Two years ago we were out at the Sunny Coast, up in Toowoomba, out at Gatton, all the provincial tracks and now we're in a Group 1.'
Courier-Mail
7 hours ago
- Courier-Mail
2025 Stradbroke Handicap barrier draw boosts Ben Hayes' confidence with favourite
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. Co-trainer Ben Hayes declared Lindsay Park had its 'best hand' to secure a first Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) following the barrier draw on Tuesday night. Hayes was delighted when the stable's pair War Machine and Rise At Dawn drew barriers 13 and three. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! War Machine has a stranglehold on Stradbroke favouritism at $2.70 with TAB fixed odds, while stablemate Rise At Dawn is the only other runner in single figures at $9. 'It is a race that has eluded us,' Hayes said. 'We had our (brother Ben, Will and JD) first runner last year and he (Here To Shock) unfortunately didn't go as well as we had hoped. 'But I think this year we've got the best hand we've ever had, and hopefully with a couple of nice draws there, we should get every chance.' • 'Pressure is your friend': Cejay's tip to conjure Stradbroke fairytale Hayes' nerves finally settled when War Machine's name was finally drawn with only four numbers left - 1, 2, 13 and 15. 'I don't actually mind barrier 13, it gives Tim Clark more options,' he said. 'There will be a lot of horses crossing from out wide so he should be able to get into that three-wide line and get a nice run in transit.' Hayes said Rise At Dawn was 'definitely a danger' to the favourite. 'He gets a big drop in weight and he was bouncing this morning,' he said. 'We are confident he can run really well and barrier three gives him an opportunity to have a great run.' Several local contenders drew inside gates with three-year-old filly Spicy Martini drawing four, The Inflictor six, Payline seven and Yellow Brick eight. Trainer Craig Cousins, who only has three horses in work, said his fairytale horse The Inflictor is a big chance from his barrier. 'I've taken the week off driving trucks and I'm delighted he has drawn barrier six,' Cousins said. 'It is surreal I have a horse in the Stradbroke. I have turned 60 and it's been the greatest year of my life. 'If we win, I will be bawling my eyes out. Win, lose or draw on the weekend I am the happiest man in the world. From that barrier, we are a big chance.' • Lloyd's dad to be trackside shot at Stradbroke history Toby Edmonds, trying to win his second Stradbroke, said barrier four could be tricky for Spicy Martini. 'Look, it's good, but it could be detrimental too. There's a lot of speed out wide and we are a three-year-old filly towards the inside,' he said. NSW trainer Matt Dale was lamenting barrier 20 for Front Page after connections paid a $90,000 late entry. 'It's not ideal, you come here thinking we are a chance but now we will have to dissect the field and the speed and go back in history and all those kind of things,' Dale said. Rothfire, who still face more vets' scrutiny through the week, drew barrier 17, Private Eye received barrier 10 in his bid to win the Stradbroke first-up, while third favourite Golden Mile will jump from barrier two. GROUP 1 STRADBROKE HANDICAP (1400m) $3m | Saturday, June 14, 2025 Horse | Barrier | Trainer | Jockey | Weight 1. PRIVATE EYE | 10 | Joe Pride | Nash Rawiller | 57kg 2. ROTHFIRE | 17 | Robert Heathcote | James McDonald | 55.5kg 3. DESERT LIGHTNING | 1 | Peter Moody & Katherine Coleman | Tommy Berry | 54.5kg 4. KIMOCHI | 14 | Gary Portelli | Craig Williams | 54kg 5. YELLOW BRICK | 8 | Tony & Maddysen Sears | Andrew Mallyon | 53.5kg 6. GOLDEN MILE | 2 | James Cummings | Jason Collett | 53.5kg 7. WAR MACHINE | 13 | Ben, Will & JD Hayes | Tim Clark | 53kg 8. PAYLINE | 7 | Chris & Corey Munce | Kyle Wilson-Taylor | 53kg 9. PUNCH LANE | 21 | Anthony & Sam Freedman | Rachel King | 53kg 10. FRONT PAGE | 20 | Matthew Dale | Damien Thornton | 52.5kg 11. ROBUSTO | 19 | Bjorn Baker | Kerrin McEvoy | 52.5kg 12. FAR TOO EASY | 9 | David McColm | Regan Bayliss | 52.5kg 13. RISE AT DAWN | 3 | Ben, Will & JD Hayes | Declan Bates | 52.5kg 14. THE INSTRUCTOR | 12 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Jett Stanley | 52kg 15. BOSUSTOW | 11 | Annabel & Rob Archibald | Zac Lloyd | 51.5kg 16. THE INFLICTOR | 6 | Craig Cousins | Cejay Graham | 51kg 17. FIRESTORM | 16 | Chris Waller | Not Notified | 51kg 18. SPICY MARTINI | 4 | Toby Edmonds & Stephen McLean | Not Notified | 46.9kg Emergencies 19e. COLEMAN | 23 | Chris Waller | Not Notified | 50kg 20e. TRANSATLANTIC | 22 | Tony Gollan | Not Notified | 51kg 21e. WATERFORD | 18 | Chris Waller | Not Notified | 51kg 22e. PIER | 15 | Darryn & Briar Weatherley | Mark Du Plessis | 51kg 23e. WARNIE | 5 | Ciaron Maher | Not Notified | 51kg Originally published as 2025 Stradbroke Handicap barrier draw boosts Ben Hayes' confidence with War Machine and Rise At Dawn
Courier-Mail
7 hours ago
- Courier-Mail
2025 Stradbroke Handicap: Cejay Graham to ride The Inflictor
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. Pressure is your friend. Young jockey Cejay Graham has those words ringing in her ears as she prepares for the 'pinch myself moment' of riding in her first Stradbroke Handicap. The words were delivered by Graham's mentor, trainer Kelly Schweida, after the young jockey came from Port Macquarie on the New South Wales mid-coast to be Schweida's apprentice in the big smoke in Brisbane a couple of years ago. And never have they been more fitting as Graham, 26, prepares to ride Queensland fairytale horse The Inflictor in Saturday's $3m Stradbroke at Eagle Farm. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! 'The best bit of advice Kelly has given me was that pressure is your friend,' Graham said. 'You've got to absorb the pressure and embrace it. 'That's one thing he said to me that really stuck, because coming from a few knock-backs early in my riding career I wasn't initially too confident with some things and he just said 'don't let the pressure get to you'. 'If you don't have pressure, you probably aren't going really good, are you? 'So when you put it like that, you want the pressure, don't you? 'It is a pretty cool saying that is stuck in my head.' The Inflictor winning The Gateway at Eagle Farm to collect a golden ticket into the Stradbroke Handicap. Picture: Trackside Photography • J-Mac confirmed for Rothfire's incredible Stradbroke bid Graham might hail from New South Wales, but she now considers herself as Queensland as the Great Barrier Reef. And that's just as well because a lot of Queensland will be supporting her – and the remarkable story of The Inflictor and his 60-year-old truck driving hobby trainer Craig Cousins – in the Stradbroke. • Pride taking on Stradbroke history with Private Eye The Inflictor is the home-bred hero who qualified for the Stradbroke by winning the ballot exempt race of The Gateway at Eagle Farm last December. Graham rode the four-year-old gelding to win that day and a lot of water has gone under the bridge since then. She is pinching herself that she has a chance to ride him to glory in the Stradbroke, in a race which will be her fourth career Group 1 ride. • Stradbroke Handicap field: Gollan's gun only second emergency 'Craig was pretty adamant he wanted to stick with me straight after The Gateway, so it's great that he has done that and its fantastic to be given the opportunity,' Graham said. 'It's real pinch myself kind of stuff. 'I think there will be a lot of Queenslanders cheering for us on the day. 'I've done a lot of work with him behind the scenes, I definitely know the horse inside and out. 'He is tough when he leads, but he doesn't have to lead. 'I think he's got a great chance. • Comeback star can give Cummings a Golden send-off in Stradbroke 'And I've really got to thank Kelly (Schweida) for his support as I wouldn't have got the gig riding up in Brisbane without him. 'And if it wasn't for his continued support coming out of my apprenticeship, I might have struggled a bit. 'He has backed me 100 per cent and I owe him everything.' Originally published as 'Pressure is your friend': Jockey Cejay Graham's tip to conjure 2025 Stradbroke Handicap fairytale with The Inflictor
