Gold Coast jockey Jason Taylor will be searching for his second win in the Group 1 $1.5m AAMI Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday when he rides lightweight chance Takedown.
Gold Coast jockey Jason Taylor will ride Takedown, above, in the Stradbroke Handicap. Photo by Daniel Costello.
Natural lightweight Taylor will have no trouble getting down to the 50.5kg that Takedown has been allocated and the three year old is currently number seventeen in order of entry for the Stradbroke Handicap and will made the final field of eighteen.
Taylor will be hoping that history will repeat itself after he picked up the ride on the lightweight Sincero who went on to win the 2011 Stradbroke Handicap.
Taylor has been a prominent rider in South East Queensland for several decades but these days as well as riding at the Gold Coast also does a lot of riding in northern New South Wales.
Taylor was in the winner’s stall at Grafton on May 20 when he rode a winning treble on Monkey Show, Refustress and Takingdol.
The Gary Moore trained Takedown is racing in the best form of his career and surged into Stradbroke Handicap calculations with a win in the Group 3 $125,000 All-New Jaguar XF Gold Coast Guineas (1200m) at the Gold Coast on May 7 followed by a second to Counterattack in the Group 3 $125,000 Sky Racing Fred Best Classic (1350m) at Doomben on May 23.
Takedown is listed as a $17 chance in the Stradbroke Handicap market at Ladbrokes.com.au while the Chris Waller trained Counterattack is on the third line of betting at $7.
Queen Of The Turf winner Azkadellia heads the market order at $4 just ahead of the Darren Weir trained Black Heart Bart at $5.
Trainer Ciaron Maher gave Azkadellia a short break after winning the Group 1 $1m The Coolmore Legacy Stakes (Queen Of The Turf Stakes) (1600m) at Randwick on the second day of ‘The Championships’ on April 9 before giving her a final Stradbroke Handicap lead up run in the Group 1 $750,000 James Boag’s Premium Doomben 10000 (1350m) at Doomben on May 28.
Azkadellia settled at the tail of the field before running home for second to Music Magnate who is marked at $9 for the Stradbroke Handicap.
Former West Australian galloper Black Heart Bart has been racing in top form since being transferred into the Weir stable and heads to Brisbane on the back of a win in the Group 1 $500,000 Darley Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville on May 21.
Early market order for the Stradbroke Handicap at Ladbrokes.com.au: $4 Azkadellia, $5 Black Heart Bart, $7 Counterattack, Malaguerra, $9 Music Magnate, $11 Under The Louvre, $13 Kaepernick, Delectation, $17 Takedown, $21 Artlee, Hooked, $26 Charlie Boy, $34 Precious Gem, $41 Sacred Star, Charmed Harmony, $51 Big Money, Too Good To Refuse, $67 Trubia, Two Blue, $101 Traveston Girl, Echo Gal, The Virginian.
