Snowdens and Lloyd team up with Gibraltar Girl in Mode Plate

The Snowden Racing Team will link up with in-form jockey Jeff Lloyd with Gibraltar Girl in the Listed $100,000 Peak Sports And Spine Centre Mode Plate (1200m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

In-form jockey Jeff Lloyd, above, will ride Gibraltar Girl in the Mode Plate at Eagle Farm. Photo by Daniel Costello.

In-form jockey Jeff Lloyd, above, will ride Gibraltar Girl in the Mode Plate at Eagle Farm. Photo by Daniel Costello.

Lloyd is riding in superb form with fifteen winners to his credit since the Eagle Farm meeting on November 26 which includes a record breaking seven win haul at the Sunshine Coast meeting on November 30.

The former South African jockey was the premier rider in Brisbane last season with eighty winners and he has already ridden fifty-seven metropolitan winners this season.

The Mode Plate with the same group of fillies was scheduled as the last race on the Eagle Farm program last Saturday but was transferred to this week’s meeting after it was abandoned after a storm thundered across Eagle Farm late in the afternoon.

Gibraltar Girl was left on the Gold Coast for the week and co-trainer Paul Snowden said missing the run last week won’t be a problem.

“Gibraltar Girl stayed in Queensland at the Gold Coast. She missed work on Tuesday because of a storm but we were able to work her on Wednesday morning,” Paul Snowden told AAP.

“She is a light filly and missing last week won’t have worried her,” Paul Snowden told AAP.

The Randwick based Peter and Paul Snowden Racing Team are regular visitors to South East Queensland during the racing Carnivals and often go home with feature race trophies.

“She is also nicely bred so we are keen to get the owners some black type for her and Queensland looks the ideal place,” Snowden said.

Gibraltar Girl has been working her way up through the classes in her latest preparation and after winning her maiden at Canterbury over 1100m on October 21 was in the Canterbury winner’s stall again after taking out an 1100m BenchMark 69 Handicap on November 11.

The Manhattan Rain filly will be stepping up in class again following her close second in a 1200m BenchMark 70 Handicap at Rosehill on November 19.

Gibraltar Girl will jump from barrier six in the Mode Plate with the early scratching of the first emergency Isla Tristana who draw gate two and Ladbrokes.com.au have her as one of the top fancies on the second line of betting at $6 with Savanna Amour behind the Tony Gollan trained Tiyatrolani at $5.50.

Tiyatrolani will come out of barrier three with Jim Byrne in the saddle again after the pair raced on the pace to score a last start win in a 1000m three year old Fillies Handicap at Eagle Farm on November 19.

On the third line of betting at $6.50 is the Kurt Goldman trained Eckstein who has won her last two starts in Sydney, a 1200m Highway Handicap for Class 2 horses at Randwick on October 15 and a 1200m three year old BenchMark 70 Handicap at Rosehill on October 29.

The Snowdens will also saddle up Ravi in the Listed $100,000 Canadian Club Just Now Handicap (1300m) and the Redoute’s Choice mare has drawn barrier six with Kerrin McEvoy to ride.

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.