2025 Stradbroke Handicap barrier draw boosts Ben Hayes' confidence with favourite
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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.
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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.'
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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.'
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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
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