How a $101 UK longshot became a spruik horse for the $3m Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap
Victorian trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young have an intriguing contender for the 2025 Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap.
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An X-factor horse who started his career racing as a $101 shot in England is now bound for the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap.
Without even racing in recent times, four-year-old gelding Craig has vaulted up Stradbroke betting markets to be a $15 chance to win Queensland’s most prestigious race in June.
A son of Irish stallion Territories, Craig raced once in England when finishing third at $101 in Newmarket in 2023 before being purchased by Victorian trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young.
Craig rose through the grades in Melbourne last winter before finishing second behind Antino in the Group 1 Toorak Handicap and then was beaten six lengths in the $10m Golden Eagle when the Rosehill track that day didn’t suit him.
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A minor bone chip injury saw him ruled out of the autumn carnival but Busuttin revealed that, as long as he trialled well next week, Craig had some big fish to fry in the Queensland winter carnival.
Craig would kick-off in the Group 3 BRC Sprint at Doomben next month before being deployed in the $3m Stradbroke, where his current rating of 103 would almost certainly see him make the field.
WHAT A RIDE FROM BLAKE SHINN! 🔥
— Racing.com (@Racing) October 12, 2024
Antino goes from last to first in the Toorak Handicap! 💨 @tonygollan@blake_shinnpic.twitter.com/bwIM9WCMmD
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“The plan is the Stradbroke,” Busuttin revealed.
“He is a genuine Group 1 horse.
“We were originally thinking of going to The Goodwood (in Adelaide) with him, but now we are not going to.
“We purchased him from England, he had one start at Newmarket at 100-1 and ran third, and we didn’t pay a huge amount of money for him.
“Last winter in Victoria, he won some races really well but the winter form doesn’t generally stack up.
“But then he should have won a Group 3 race at Sandown and he ran second in the Toorak although he was smashed by Antino that day.
“We went up to the Golden Eagle but it was a slippery track that day and he didn’t handle it at all.”
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Craig is only lightly raced, having had nine career starts.
The autumn carnival went off the table after a minor bone chip issue so now the Queensland winter is calling.
He adds significant intrigue to early Stradbroke betting markets.
“He is quite explosive and has a great turn of foot,” Busuttin said.
“It was a shame he came out of the Golden Eagle with a little chip in his fetlock, so he missed the autumn carnival because of that.
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“The Stradbroke looks the logical race for him.
“I think I have only had one Stradbroke horse before and that was El Roca (13th behind Srikandi in 2015).
“El Roca went from being a boom three-year-old to having a flat tyre and he went to stud after the Straddy.”
Originally published as How a $101 UK longshot became a spruik horse for the $3m Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap
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