Form expert Daniel O’Sullivan has Lumosty on top of his 2015 Stradbroke Handicap tips and he believes that the talented filly should be an even shorter priced favourite in betting for the Group 1 event at Doomben tomorrow.
Lumosty is a clear favourite in 2015 Doomben 10,000 betting markets. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia.
Lumosty only secured a start in the Stradbroke Handicap following the scratching of Lord Of The Sky this morning, but has easily been the best-backed runner in betting and O’Sullivan told TAB Radio this morning that she will prove very tough to beat if she is able to replicate the performances she produced in her two race starts at Flemington this preparation.
“She is clearly the best chance in the race,” O’Sullivan said.
“Her last two performances were either at or above the winning average for the Stradbroke and there is no doubt that she is the best chance in the race and she deserves to be shorter than her current price.”
While O’Sullivan believes that Lumosty is clearly the horse to beat in the Stradbroke Handicap, he believes that Black Heart Bart and Charlie Boy are the two horses that can take advantage if the filly fails to fire tomorrow.
Black Heart Bart failed to perform at his best when he finished fourth in the Group 1 The Goodwood, but O’Sullivan is confident that the Western Australian galloper will go very close if he is able to reproduce his Perth form, while he feels that Charlie Boy has the right profile for a Stradbroke Handicap winner.
“The only horse that can match her on peak performance is Black Heart Bart if you go back to what he was doing in Perth prior to The Goodwood,” O’Sullivan said.
“If he is anywhere close to what he was running there in WA with those big weights where he was running massive figures on the clock and putting a big margin on some decent horses then he is more than capable of winning this race and winning it by a margin.
“There is a very clear pattern in the Stradbroke in terms of the lead-up ratings that horses need to win the race and Charlie Boy certainly fits right into the boat courtesy of his last start performance in the Doomben 10000.
“He is one of the horses that meet that criteria and has drawn well there in barrier seven.
“He will take a position around midfield and that will be ideal whatever the pace is like up front.
“From such a top stable that have such a tremendous record of getting horses to peak on the big day, you would have to think that he is set to run just as well as he did in the 10,000.”
Lumosty is currently available at 2925 Stradbroke Handicap odds of $4.60 with Ladbrokes and she is a clear favourite from Charlie Boy ($7.50) and Black Heart Bart ($9).
