After beating home a small field at the track in last weekend’s PJ O’Shea Stakes, Nick Olive’s Group 1 winning mare Single Gaze could be in for a seven day back-up after being nominated for the Brisbane Cup 2017 on Stradbroke Handicap Day.
Last weekend’s PJ O’Shea Stakes winner Single Gaze (pictured at Rosehill) is among the 2017 Brisbane Cup nominations for a return to Doomben on Saturday. Photo: Steve Hart.
One of the key acts on the card, the $300,000 Group 2 Evergreen Turf Brisbane Cup runs over 2200m instead of 2400m this Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival after the meeting was moved from Eagle Farm to Doomben Racecourse.
The Brisbane Cup nominations attracted 15 stayers including Not A Single Doubt four-year-old Single Gaze.
Best known for her Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) win at Rosehill as a three-year-old last year, she has been racing in outstanding form in Queensland this season.
She won the Listed Tails Stakes (1600m) at Doomben in April, ran second to Doncaster Mile champ It’s Somewhat in the Group 2 A.D. Hollindale Stakes (1800m) at the Gold Coast and then ran sixth to the same galloper in the Group 1 Doomben Cup (2000m) on May 20.
Racing again last Saturday back at Doomben, Single Gaze beat home a small field by over a length as the punters’ pick in the Group 2 PJ O’Shea Stakes (2200m).
There’s a chance she’ll chase back-to-back wins over the track and distance with a Brisbane Cup run this Saturday.
The PJ O’Shea Stakes runner-up Rudy is also among the Brisbane Cup nominations for Saturday, Helen Page’s Red Dazzler six-year-old boasting plenty of Doomben form (16-5-3-4).
He was third in the Doomben Cup two back before his second on Queensland Oaks Day, but is still yet to win over further than mile.
The other key Brisbane Cup lead-up race is the Group 3 Premier’s Cup (2200m), which was run and won at Eagle Farm on May 27.
The showdown was taken out in a late upset by Rob Heathcote’s $51 roughie Kaiser Franz who is in the mix for the Brisbane Cup 2017.
Jockey Robbie Fradd came from nowhere in the dying stages of the Premier’s Cup on the known wet-tracker to win the race at a blowout price defeating Zambezi Warrior (2nd) and The Chairman (3rd).
Both placegetters out of the Premier’s Cup trifecta also feature in the Brisbane Cup nominations for a rematch on the weekend.
Pentire four-year-old Zambezi Warrior, if accepted, will be third-up down with the Kiwi raider’s other winter run in Brisbane producing a fourth behind Stampede at Doomben in the Group 3 Chairman’s Handicap (2000m) on May 13.
The Mick Price-trained The Chairman also ran in that race crossing a length away second to the winner before his Premier’s Cup third, which was his ninth top three run on the trot going back to October last year.
Along with Zambezi Warrior the other New Zealand-trained raiders in the Brisbane Cup mix this season are the Adrian & Harry Bull-trained Benzini who won the race over 2400m at Eagle Farm last year and the Stephen Marsh-trained Chairman’s third placed Shocking four-year-old Chocante out to atone for his Premier’s Cup 10th.
Check out the full Brisbane Cup 2017 nominations below, the final field & barriers out on Wednesday followed by updated winter racing odds online at Ladbrokes.com.au.
2017 Brisbane Cup Nominations
Doomben Racecourse – 10/06/2017
| # | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Sex | Age | Trainer | H. Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4x6256x234 | BENZINI | G | 7 | Adrian & Harry Bull | 103 |
| 2 | x1121x3730 | CHOCANTE (NZ) | G | 4 | Stephen Marsh | 89.5 |
| 3 | 21328×5171 | GRAND DREAMER | G | 6 | Robert Smerdon | – |
| 4 | 4665×95301 | KAISER FRANZ (NZ) | G | 6 | Robert Heathcote | – |
| 5 | 0203×02022 | MONTEZUMA | G | 5 | Jon Walk | – |
| 6 | 3511241179 | MORENDI | G | 4 | Darren Graham | 86 |
| 7 | 36422×0250 | MY DIAMANTINE (NZ) | M | 6 | Brian Smith | 83 |
| 8 | 680582×645 | NEVERLAND | M | 5 | Darren Weir | 95 |
| 9 | x91130x566 | PEMBERLEY (NZ) | G | 5 | Ciaron Maher | 90 |
| 10 | 474×343532 | RUDY | G | 6 | Helen Page | – |
| 11 | 39×6685643 | SELF SENSE | G | 6 | David Brideoake | – |
| 12 | 1Fx7031261 | SINGLE GAZE | M | 4 | Nick Olive | – |
| 13 | 21132×3323 | THE CHAIRMAN | G | 5 | Mick Price | 90 |
| 14 | 142×218311 | TOP OF MY LIST | M | 4 | Anthony & Edward Cummings | – |
| 15 | 01376×4242 | ZAMBEZI WARRIOR (NZ) | G | 4 | Stephen Autridge & Jamie Richards | – |
