2025 BRC Sprint: War Machine books Stradbroke Handicap berth with dominant win

The Lindsay Park dynasty has a golden chance to win its first Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap after War Machine destroyed his opposition in the Group 3 BRC Sprint.

War Machine was elevated to Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap favouritism after his dominant win in the BRC Sprint. Picture: Grant Peters / Trackside Photography

The Lindsay Park dynasty has a golden chance to win its first Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap after War Machine proved he was a machine by blowing away his opposition in the Group 3 BRC Sprint.

With the race offering a golden ticket into next month’s Stradbroke, War Machine was sent out the well-backed $2.40 favourite and did the business under Blake Shinn.

It was the icing on the Doomben cake for Shinn who not long earlier had won a record-breaking fourth Group 1 Doomben Cup, riding Queensland freak Antino to glory.

War Machine’s BRC Sprint triumph prompted bookmakers to elevate the four-year-old – who had been trained by the late Mike Moroney prior to his death – to outright $5 Stradbroke favourite.

Lindsay Park founder Colin Hayes never won the Stradbroke Handicap, nor did his son David but grandsons Ben, Will and JD Hayes will now chase Queensland’s biggest race.

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“That was an unbelievable effort by the horse,” JD Hayes said.

“We’ve only had him a short time.

“He came in incredible condition from Ballymore and we’ve been very lucky to inherit him.

“It looked like we’d get a beautiful run from the barrier and he’s let down well.

“He had his ears pricked on the line and we’re really looking forward to the Stradbroke.”

A race-to-race double for @blake_shinn as War Machine wins the last at Doomben in impressive fashion! @lindsayparkracepic.twitter.com/5I1jEbJDh9

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 24, 2025

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Man of the moment Shinn paid tribute to the late Moroney.

“I had a little bit to do with this horse when Mike Moroney trained him and he did a great job nurturing him in his early days,” Shinn said.

“The Hayes boys are the beneficiary of that.

“If he runs in the Straddy, I think he’ll be hard to beat.”

While War Machine was dominant, Far Too Easy also stood up to be counted in finishing runner-up and Murwillumbah trainer David McColm indicated a Stradbroke mission was on the cards.

Far Too Easy is the fairytale horse who has survived deadly floods and bacterial infections and surged to glory in last year’s $2m The Kosciuszko at Randwick.

He has since produced a couple of lacklustre runs but his BRC Sprint effort was much better and his rating will almost certainly get him a Stradbroke berth.

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“The winner was too good today but I thought my horse’s effort was great,” McColm said.

“He did what we know he can do.

“Assuming he goes to the Stradbroke, the weight difference in that race will be a big difference for him.

“He needed to do something today to go towards the Stradbroke.

“We had been disappointed with his last two runs but we have had a lot of wet weather in New South Wales and it’s been a hard slog these last six months

“I think we have got him back.”

Originally published as 2025 BRC Sprint: War Machine books Stradbroke Handicap berth with dominant win