Magic Millions 2YO Classic-bound colt Ours To Keep headlines a bumper field of juveniles facing off in the BJ McLachlan Stakes 2016 at Eagle Farm Racecourse this Saturday in Brisbane.
Trainer Chris Munce saddles-up the 2016 BJ McLachlan Stakes favourite at Eagle Farm on Saturday Ours To Keep. Photo: Daniel Costello.
Running as Eagle Farm Race 5 at 2:48pm (local) at the New Year’s Eve racing meet, this season’s $200,000 Group 3 Lilivale Stud B.J. McLachlan Stakes (1200m) has attracted a final field of 16 two-year-olds.
Sitting top of the line-up and drawn a treat in barrier two is the undefeated Chris Munce-trained son of Seidnazar Ours To Keep.
On debut the galloper posted a 4.3 length win at Doomben over 1050m before coming back on December 17 for a narrow victory in the Listed Phelan Ready Plate (1100m).
He rises in class again this weekend with Damian Browne retaining the ride on the sure-to-be odds-on favourite in BJ McLachlan Stakes betting at Ladbrokes.com.au.
Ours To Keep tracks towards a January 14 run at the Gold Coast in the $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m), a Restricted Listed feature he currently pays $10 to win in pre-field markets.
Also heading towards the 2017 Gold Coast Magic Millions Classic next month and running in the BJ McLachlan off a last start win is the Bjorn Baker-trained Goodfella.
A $17 shot for the lucrative Magic Millions race, Baker’s Snitzel colt broke his maiden status at career start number four in the mud at Canterbury on December 16.
He has a nasty gate 11 draw to overcome this weekend with Queensland hoop Jeff Lloyd coming aboard for the ride.
Lloyd also rides Baker’s undefeated three-year-old Winning Rupert in Saturday’s other Brisbane feature, the $200,000 Group 3 Vo Rogue Plate (1300m).
The outside BJ McLachlan Stakes barrier (16) this summer meanwhile belongs to another unbeaten youngster, the Steven O’Dea-trained local Colosimo.
Paul Hammersley rides the Foxwedge filly who won over 900m at the Gold Coast in last November before a good Eagle Farm win over 1200m on December 10.
Other last start winners in the mix include the Darryl Hansen-trained Bring It Home Pop from the Sunshine Coast and the Toby Edmonds-trained Congrats filly Tiara Star drawn in gates 10 and 13 respectively.
Godolphin is represented in the Group 3 by the John O’Shea-trained Coorg who was the big winner in the draw coming up trumps with barrier one for his hoop Robbie Fradd.
Other notable hopes include Jim Byrne’s mount Bold Kingston in gate four and the unraced David Vandyke-trained Real Saga filly Umawinner who Michael Cahill rides on debut.
Check out the full B.J. McLachlan Stakes 2016 field, barriers and jockeys below before checking out all the weekend’s summer racing odds and offers online at Ladbrokes.com.au.
2016 BJ McLachlan Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw
Eagle Farm Race 5 (2:48pm) – 31/12/2016
| # | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Br. | Wgt. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1×1 | OURS TO KEEP | Chris Munce | Damian Browne | 2 | 57kg |
| 2 | 21 | BRING IT HOME POP | Darryl Hansen | Luke Tarrant | 10 | 57kg |
| 3 | 5521 | GOODFELLA | Bjorn Baker | Jeff Lloyd | 11 | 57kg |
| 4 | 815 | SAXTON ROCK | Matthew Dunn | TBA | 12 | 57kg |
| 5 | 5123 | BOLD KINGSTON | John Zielke | Jim Byrne | 4 | 57kg |
| 6 | 2 | SNITZKRAFT | Kelso Wood | Luke Dittman | 14 | 57kg |
| 7 | 2 | COORG | John O’Shea | Robbie Fradd | 1 | 57kg |
| 8 | 325 | MISHANI BULLITT | Chris Anderson | Larry Cassidy | 8 | 57kg |
| 9 | 4 | SO INVINCIBLE | Stuart Kendrick | Ryan Wiggins | 6 | 57kg |
| 10 | 21×6 | REAL PRINCESS | Liam Birchley | Tye Angland | 3 | 55kg |
| 11 | 11 | COLOSIMO | Steven O’dea | Paul Hammersley | 16 | 55kg |
| 12 | 42×1 | TIARA STAR | Toby Edmonds | Kerrin McEvoy | 13 | 55kg |
| 13 | 1 | DEBONAIRLY | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Ms Tegan Harrison | 5 | 55kg |
| 14 | 24 | SERIOUS DOUBTS | Gillian Heinrich & Ben Rodgers | James Orman | 15 | 55kg |
| 15 | 732 | GO DAISY | Scott Morrisey | Damian Lane | 7 | 55kg |
| 16 | – | UMAWINNER | David Vandyke | Michael Cahill | 9 | 55kg |
