Monster 640kg racehorse Namazu chases fairytale Stradbroke dream in BRC Sprint at Doomben

One of the biggest racehorses you will ever see will be chasing a Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap golden ticket at Doomben on Saturday.

Ricky Vale with his warhorse Namazu. Picture: Ben Dorries.

He’s the plus-size, monster racehorse who has been here, there and everywhere and is now striving to score a golden ticket into the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap.

Meet Namazu, who Rockhampton trainer Ricky Vale reckons would weigh in at about 640kg.

He’s never been able to get the big boy on the scales in Rockhampton but, comparing him to other horses in his stable and other hulking horses he has seen, Vale is convinced that his 640kg guess is about right.

That would make him more than 100kg heavier than the average racehorse – and he will be easily the biggest horse racing on Doomben Cup day on Saturday.

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Namazu, who started his racing career with Godolphin before being purchased by his current owners for $40,000 through an online sale, has now scored over $1m in prizemoney.

The warhorse galloper recently added the $775,000 The Archer slot race on his home track to his bulging trophy cabinet which is full of country Cups from winning in central and north Queensland.

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The richest race in regional Queensland!

Namazu wins the Archer from Rockhampton! pic.twitter.com/OFlbScwH1Y

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 28, 2024

With a rating of 102, Namazu is on the fringe of getting a Stradbroke start but would secure one if he wins Saturday’s Group 3 BRC Sprint (1350m) at Dsoomben which offers the winner a golden Stradbroke ticket.

“He is nominated for the Straddy and the owners would like to get him there as it’s a once in a lifetime thing,” Vale told Racenet.

“I don’t like going into any race that I don’t think I’m a chance in, so we will see how we go. But I have to keep in mind the owners might never get another Stradbroke runner.

“If he performs well on Saturday – if he runs top three and gets a run in the Straddy, I’d say we will be going there.”

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Namazu wins the $775,000 slot race The Archer in Rockhampton: Picture: Matt Harris – Caught in the Act Photography.

Namazu has saddle and will travel, and has raced at plenty of tracks.

He is so versatile that he has won over distance ranges from 1300m to 2100m.

At six years old, he is arguably in the form of his life, not only having led and won The Archer but also winning at Mackay the start before when he lugged 68kg to victory.

For Vale, the gelding has always been a labour of love.

“He can come out of the paddock and look like a bit of a cripple sometimes,” Vale admits.

“His feet aren’t the best so we have to bathe them in salt water for the first two or three months he is in work.

“And when we got him off Godolphin he had a back issue, a bloke up in Rocky who is great with the mechanics of a horse worked on him every week until his back came good.

“It was the same this time when he came back into work, he wasn’t galloping that good and his usual track work rider said he doesn’t want to be here.

“So we started bathing his feet twice a day and I was doing some chiropractor work on him myself and rubbing his shoulders and once his feet came good, everything else came good.

“All of a sudden he started working really good.”

Namazu after scoring The Archer: Picture: Matt Harris – Caught in the Act Photography.

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Namazu will be ridden by Ryan Wiggins on Saturday who knows him like the back of his hand.

“I’m not going to lie, we tried some of the top Sydney jockeys and they all had rides,” Vale said.

“They have to ride for their usual stables. But Wiggo knows him really well. Whatever this horse does from here it is a bonus, he has taken us on a wonderful ride.”

Vale once worked for Peter Moody but has trained in Rockhampton for most of his adult life apart from a stint away from the caper in his early 20s when he did some carpentry work.

Namazu is $31 chance to score the BRC Sprint on Saturday and is $201 to create a massive Stradbroke shock.

Originally published as Monster 640kg racehorse Namazu chases fairytale Stradbroke dream in BRC Sprint at Doomben