Our Boy Malachi heading to Queensland carnival and chasing 11th straight win

EVEN with Snitzerland a confirmed Victory Stakes starter, it's a support race runner that shapes as a focal point at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Our Boy Malachi has won 10 straight races in Queensland under jockey Adrian Coome.

EVEN with Snitzerland a confirmed Victory Stakes starter, it's a support race runner that shapes as a focal point when the Queensland carnival kicks off at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Central Queensland star Our Boy Malachi chases his 11th straight win in the Greenslopes Emergency Benchmark 90 (1000m).

Beaten at his first race start, Our Boy Malachi won his maiden at Gympie by more than 11 lengths.

He has since won another nine races straight at Rockhampton and Mackay for trainer John O'Sing and jockey Adrian Coome.

O'Sing said he had battled a number of issues since Our Boy Malachi's most recent win at Rockhampton in December.

“He jarred up real bad on the hard track and we ended up having to give him six weeks off,” O'Sing said.

“Then he got bad stone bruises in both of his back feet. He was flat out putting his feet on the ground it was that bad.

“So he's had a few problems, but hopefully we have them ironed out now.” O'Sing dismissed any notion of pressure to maintain the winning sequence, admitting he's in the dark as much as anyone how his star will measure up.

“We go there hoping more so than expecting to win,” he said. “He owes us nothing at all, but it does look a winnable race.

“It's hard to line his form up, but when he won the Rocky Newmarket, Essington was third and he has run some nice races in Brisbane since.”

O'Sing said owner Col Donovan had been in discussion with the Hawkes' stable about possibly trying his luck down south, but all plans are on hold until Saturday's race tells them more.

“He's going to get 62 or 63kg up here now, so we have to go to the city,” O'Sing said.

The weather gods dealt Queensland its first winner of the carnival, with Snitzerland set to run in the Victory Stakes at Eagle Farm instead of the All Aged at Randwick on Saturday.

Trainer Gerald Ryan feared a forecast of showers for Sydney on Friday and Saturday.

In first markets, TattsBet have Snitzerland $1.95 favourite. Famous Seamus ($6) is another Sydneysider running because of the more favourable forecast.

■ TIM Bell rode Clever One to win in the return to racing at Ipswich on Wednesday and immediately gave the new track his seal of approval.

“It was a bit firm, but it's always hard to get a track right at its first go back and otherwise I was really happy with it,” Bell said. “The key improvement was between the 800m and 600m where they used to have dips in the track. The surface was good and the camber helps a lot more now.”

■ JEFF Lloyd notched his first winner since returning from a stroke on Paederos at Canterbury on Wednesday. It was just his third ride back from a 13 month recovery.