A brilliant track gallop by Impending has given trainer Darren Beadman some extra confidence heading into Saturday’s Group 1 $1.5m Stradbroke Handicap (1350m) at Doomben.
Impending, above, is working well in the lead up to the Stradbroke Handicap at Doomben. Photo by Steve Hart.
Impending is one of two three-year-olds taking on the older horses in the Winter Racing Carnival’s premier sprint and Beadman said that the Lonhro colt has put himself right into contention following his outstanding work on Tuesday morning at the Gold Coast.
“Since his last run he’s worked really well and actually put in an outstanding piece of work at the Gold Coast on Tuesday,” Beadman said.
But first Beadman and jockey Corey Brown will have to work out a smart race plan after Impending came up with barrier eighteen in the original draw in the sixteen horse plus five emergencies Stradbroke Handicap field.
If all five emergencies fail to get a run, Impending will move into gate thirteen which will still give Brown plenty of work to do to find a nice spot to slot into.
“Unfortunately, the barrier is going to make it tougher for him, but he’ll go into the race in great form, very fit and very well,” Beadman said.
“Unfortunately, the barrier is going to make it tougher for him, but he’ll go into the race in great form, very fit and very well.”
Impending had been racing consistently over the 2017 Sydney Autumn Carnival without finding the winner’s stall and headed to Queensland on the back of a third to Derryn in the Group 2 $600,000 Arrowfield 3yo Sprint (1200m) at Randwick on April 8.
The Lindsay Park trained Derryn is the other three-year-old in the Stradbroke Handicap field and the pair met again in the Group 1 $700,000 Darley Kingsford-Smith Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm on May 27 with Impeding finishing fourth ahead of Derryn in sixth place.
Impending is currently rated as a $16 chance for the Stradbroke Handicap at Ladbrokes.com.au while top weight Clearly Innocent is a drifting favourite after drawing barrier twenty in the original barrier draw.
The Chris Waller trained Mackintosh has come in for some solid support and is listed at $7 for his first up assignment in the Stradbroke Handicap while stablemate Counterattack is next in the betting at $8.
