Kelly Schweida aiming filly El Morzillo at Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap
Kelly Schweida believes the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap would be an ideal race for El Morzillo with a featherweight – if he can qualify the exciting three-year-old filly.
Horse Racing
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Kelly Schweida collected a $1m race in Melbourne with his grey flash El Morzillo, but now he has something more prestigious in mind.
The Group 1 $3m Stradbroke Handicap.
El Morzillo will attempt to walk in the hoofprints of another three-year-old filly Stefi Magnetica, who won the 2024 Stradbroke with a feather weight.
• PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet’s team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
The problem will be getting El Morzillo to qualify for the Stradbroke in June.
With a rating of 90, the fast-finishing filly needs a ratings bump or to score a “win-and-you’re in” race such as the Fred Best Classic to surge into the Stradbroke.
El Morzillo is set to resume in the winter carnival pipe-opener Group 2 Victory Stakes at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
“You’ve got to aim high and she would have to qualify to get in, but I think the Stradbroke is a race that really suits a three-year-old filly like her,” multiple Group 1-winning Eagle Farm trainer Schweida said.
“Who knows what is coming for the Straddy, they just seem to jumpout of the woodwork?
“But the Straddy is the type of race where they generally run along at a good tempo and that would really suit her.
“I think she is better ridden back in the field and unleashed late with her good turn of foot.
“When she won at Flemington last start, she was 15th at the 400m mark.”
Kelly Schweida and @CWilliamsJockey combine to win the Inglis Sprint, with El Morzillo,sired by Star Witness âï¸
— Victoria Racing Club (@FlemingtonVRC) March 1, 2025
🎥 @7horseracing@inglis_sales#AusGuineas#RacingSpectacularpic.twitter.com/0uxudBu3K0
• Potential Group 1 star who can be ‘beaten a furlong' in trials
El Morzillo has competed at a high level for virtually her entire 12-start career.
She is familiar with winter carnival competition, having finished fourth behind Broadsiding in last year’s Group 1 JJ Atkins at Eagle Farm.
At her last start, she flew home like she was shot out of a gun to score the $1m Inglis Sprint at Flemington.
Before that, she was fifth in the $3m Sunlight slot race on the Sunshine Coast in January.
That has proved a hot form race with Sunlight winner Private Harry subsequently scoring the Group 1 The Galaxy in Sydney.
Others who ran behind Private Harry on the Sunshine Coast have since produced eye-catching wins.
• Dethroned Quokka champion set for Doomben 10,000
“When she won that million-dollar race in Melbourne, I guess you could say it was just a restricted race,” Schweida said.
“But her form before that was very good.”
Another Schweida youngster, two-year-old colt Grafterburners, will have a part to play in the winter carnival.
Grafterburners, last seen winning the $500,000 QTIS Jewel (2YO) on the Gold Coast, is likely to resume in the Group 2 Spirit Of Boom Classic (1200m) at Doomben on May 17.
Could he be a contender for the Group 1 JJ Atkins (1600m) on Stradbroke day?
“Firstly, we will have to see whether he runs 1400m which I think he will,” Schweida said.
“To get to 1600m, you first need to run 1400m and if you can’t run that, you can’t run 1600m.”
Originally published as Kelly Schweida aiming filly El Morzillo at Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap
Blackbook: Five to follow from Hawkesbury Saturday
News Corp racing expert Mitch Cohen has analysed all the performances from Saturday’s Hawkesbury stand-alone meeting and found a few worth following.
Lubrication too slick for his rivals in The Archer
‘He’s racing better now than he ever has in his life’: surprised Dunn wins The Archer.
Doomben 10,000 and Queensland Derby favourites trial on Monday at Randwick
Trainers John O’Shea and Tom Charlton will tune up some of their Queensland Winter Carnival big guns at Monday’s set of Royal Randwick barrier trials.
Walsh wants to unleash Hell on raiders in The Archer
The locals won The Archer last year and trainer Nick Walsh is determined to keep the trophy in Rockhampton again with his sprinter Hell.
Iron horse packs Punch in Hawkesbury Gold Cup
It was a case of “rinse and repeat” for Punch Lane, who scored another frontrunning win in the Hawkesbury Gold Cup to qualify for The Big Dance.
Libertad stuns at $71 in Victory Stakes
The newly married Annabel Archibald was the queen of the roughie as Libertad was a quaddie killer with a $71 blowout in the Group 2 Victory Stakes at Eagle Farm.