Stradbroke Handicap 2023

Ladbrokes Tip: The Doomben 10,000 has been a good guide to Stradbroke Handicap winners in recent years

The Stradbroke Handicap is the richest race held in Queensland each Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival, the Group 1 classic traditionally running at Eagle Farm Racecourse on a Saturday in early-mid June.

2022 Stradbroke Handicap winner Alligator Blood (pictured in Melbourne). Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

In 2017 the Stradbroke Handicap was moved from Eagle Farm to Doomben Racecourse and took place over 1350m (down from 1400m) and the 2018 edition saw the same change of venue occur with the Eagle Farm track still out of action.

A middle-distance sprint contested over 1400m, the Stradbroke Handicap has a minimum handicap weight of 52kg for four and five-year-old horses, and 50.5kg for two and three-year-old runners.

Offering a total of $3 million in prize money as of 2023 the race has an incredible $1.8 million up for grabs for the winning connections.

The Stradbroke Handicap prize money in 2020 was down to $350,000 due to the COVID-19 pandemic before returning to $1.5 million in stakes for 2021 before being doubled to $3 million ahead of the 2023 edition.

The winners of the previous season’s Winterbottom Stakes in Perth, the New Zealand Telegraph Handicap overseas, Flemington’s Newmarket Handicap, The T.J. Smith in Sydney and South Australia’s The Goodwood are all exempt from Stradbroke Handicap ballot. In 2018 Santa Ana Lane became the first horse to do The Goodwood – Stradbroke Handicap interstate Group 1 double.

The Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1200m) has been the best guide to the Stradbroke Handicap in recent years, but the double hasn’t been achieved since Campaign King (1988). From 2017 a number of changes to the Queensland Winter Racing line-up saw the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) run at Eagle Farm a fortnight before the new key lead-up into the Stradbroke Handicap field.

Think About It (2023) is the last horse to do the Kingsford Smith Cup – Stradbroke Handicap race double.

Stradbroke Handicap Day features a host of other key end-of-carnival feature races including the $1 million Group 1 JJ Atkins (1600m) for two-year-olds and the new-look $1.2 million Group 2 The Q22 (2200m) that has now replaced the race formerly known as the PJ O’Shea Stakes (defunct).

The latest edition of the Stradbroke Handicap ran on Saturday June 10, 2023 at Eagle Farm Racecourse offering $3 million in stakes for the first time and was won in arrogant fashion by the ultra-consistent Joe Pride-trained favourite Think About It ($3.60F).

Stradbroke Handicap Race Info

• Date: Saturday June 10, 2023
• Track: Eagle Farm Racecourse
• Distance: 1400m
• Conditions: Open Handicap
• Status: Group 1
• Prize Money: $3 million
• First Run: 1890

2023 Stradbroke Handicap Results

• 1st: #9 Think About It
• 2nd: #1 Rothfire
• 3rd: #18 Hawaii Five Oh

The Everest-bound Think About It ($3.60F) was too good again continuing his impressive strike rate to take his career record up to nine wins from 10 starts including back-to-back Group 1 victories after his arrogant victory for the punters in the 2023 Stradbroke Handicap results at Eagle Farm.

Stradbroke Handicap Betting

Futures Stradbroke Handicap betting offering all-in prices on the likely runners in the field open weeks in advance of the race and are a great way to get generous odds on your early favourites. For those punters wanting a little more security, waiting for the markets on the final field the week of the race is often more attractive.

Last start winners don’t have a great recent strike rate in the race with only four saluting from 1994 – 2023 – including The Goodwood / Stradbroke double winner Santa Ana Lane (2018) and Joe Pride’s Kingsford Smith Cup winner that year Think About It (2023) – so horses on the improve or that are more suited to the conditions of the Stradbroke Handicap often dominate the markets over those coming off a victory.

The Stradbroke Handicap barrier draw plays a part in determining the prices on each runner, but wide barriers historically aren’t a hoodoo with 10 of the 16 winners from 2006 – 2023 jumping from a double-digit gate including Under The Louvre (13 of 18 in 2016), Impending (13 of 16 at Doomben in 2017), Tyzone (16 of 18 in 2020), Tofane (10 of 18 in 2021), and most recently Alligator Blood (17 of 18 in 2022).

Horses coming off a run earlier in the winter in the Doomben 10,000 at Doomben Racecourse are often favoured in Stradbroke Handicap betting, but the favourites have a poor strike rate with just the two saluting for the punters from 2004 – 2023 when Black Piranha won his first in 2009 and Think About It ($3.60 in 2023) took his record up to nine wins from 10 starts.

The Kingsford Smith Cup results now have a major impact on the Stradbroke Handicap betting markets as the premier lead-up to the lucrative feature since 2017, including producing the 2019 Stradbroke winner Trekking who improved on a lead-up third. In 2021 the Kingsford-Smith Cup winner Vega One went on to run second in the Stradbroke Handicap quinella next-up. As mentioned previously, the Kingsford Smith – Stradbroke double was last achieved by Think About It in 2023.

2023 Stradbroke Handicap Odds

The updated Stradbroke Handicap 2023 betting odds will be available across the winter so you can back your Group 1 Brisbane race tips at the right price once markets open at [ladbrokes].

Stradbroke Handicap Field

The Stradbroke Handicap race field attracts the season’s best performing sprint types and the field capacity is 20 starters at Eagle Farm.

The event ran at Doomben for one year in 2015 and had just 15 starters when Srikandi won from the inside alley beating the smallest Stradbroke Handicap field in over 30 years. The 2017 Stradbroke Handicap also took place over 1350m at Doomben when Impending won from barrier 13 (of 16), while in 2018 the field took to Doomben again due to the unsuitable racing surface at Eagle Farm.

River Lad (2014) is one of three Stradbroke Handicap winners since 2007 to salute as a $31 roughie in betting on the Group 1. Photo Credit: Daniel Costello.

From 1983 – 2008 the field ran under capacity just three times.

There are plenty of different lead-up races into the Stradbroke Handicap field each year including even Sydney’s Group 3 Hall Mark Stakes (1200m) run in late April and Trekking (2019) was the last to do the double.

Stradbroke Handicap nominations close in early May over a month from the race date, followed by first acceptances about a week out from the race with the final field of acceptances released the Tuesday before the race runs on the Saturday.

2023 Stradbroke Handicap Field

The official Stradbroke Handicap 2023 field is released the Tuesday of race week following nominations in early May and will be listed below in full once final acceptances are announced by Racing Queensland.

The 2023 Stradbroke Handicap barrier draw takes place from 5pm (AEST) on Tuesday the 6th of May, 2023 and will be updated below once confirmed.

The 2023 Stradbroke Handicap final field is confirmed with markets led by Joe Pride’s Kingsford Smith Cup champ Think About It chasing his seventh on the trot and in-form young colt Hawaii Five Oh carrying just 49.5kg.

2023 Stradbroke Handicap First Acceptances

The Stradbroke Handicap 2023 first acceptances close on a Wednesday about a week and a half prior to the race further narrowing down the potential runners.

The 2023 Stradbroke Handicap first acceptances close Wednesday May 31, 2023. 

The 2023 Stradbroke Handicap first acceptances are now out attracting 38 hopefuls for the $3 million feature led in all-in betting by Joe Pride’s Kingsford Smith Cup winner Think About It and the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Group 3 Fred Best Classic winner Hawaii Five Oh.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2023 Stradbroke Handicap Nominations

The official Stradbroke Handicap 2023 nominations featuring usually in excess of 100 hopefuls are taken by Racing Queensland in early May and will be made available below.

The 2023 Stradbroke Handicap nominations close on Tuesday May 2, 2023 and will be updated below once released.

The Stradbroke Handicap 2023 nominations attracted a bumper 122 winter hopefuls led in all-in betting by the ultra-consistent Joe Pride-trained four-year-old Think About It, Godolphin’s recent Group 3 Hall Mark Stakes winner out of Sydney Vilana, and classy Group 2 winning Astern colt Aft Cabin also prepared by James Cummings.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Stradbroke Handicap Form Guide

The Stradbroke Handicap form guide reveals all the crucial information for punters like the jockeys, trainers, barriers, weights and lead-up runs of the horses in the field.

Wide barriers have produced plenty of winners including Linton (16 of 18 in 2013), River Lad (15 of 18 in 2014), the three-year-old Impending (13 of 16) at Doomben in 2017, and Alligator Blood (17 of 18 in 2022).

Mares have won four times from 2006 – 2023 with Tofane (2021) the last mare to win. Tyzone (16 of 18 in 2020) also won the Stradbroke from a wide barrier.

Looking at the Stradbroke Handicap weights is a good guide too as no runner has carried more than 55kg to victory since Show A Heart (56kg in 2002). The 2023 Stradbroke Handicap top-weight Rothfire (57kg) was brave running second off an on-pace run, finishing one better than his third in the race the previous year.

Sydney and Melbourne raiders also have plenty of winning form over the locals, so keep an eye out for interstate-trained horses with lead-up form in Queensland.

The Stradbroke Handicap form has gone on to stack-up in other Group 1 races plenty of times over the years including in 2021 with the winner Tofane backing-up to in the Group 1 Tattersall’s Tiara (1400m) at the same track and distance a fortnight later.

In 2022 the Stradbroke Handicap form was franked with the winner Alligator Blood returning to win the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) and Group 1 VRC Champions Mile (1600m) in the spring as well as the 2023 Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) first-up the following autumn.

Alligator Blood defeated Private Eye in the Stradbroke results of 2022 and Private Eye would further frank the form out of the Queensland feature with a second that spring in Sydney’s $15 million The Everest before winning the $3 million Nature Strip Stakes.

Stradbroke Handicap Form Facts

• The only favourites in Stradbroke Handicap betting to salute since 2004 are Black Piranha (2009) and Think About It (2023).
• Wide double-digit barriers produced seven Stradbroke Handicap winners from 2012 – 2023 most recently Alligator Blood (17 of 18 in 2022).
• Six-year-olds have dominated the Stradbroke Handicap results in the past decade.
• The Doomben 10,000 and Kingsford Smith Cup are the two key Stradbroke Handicap form races to follow.

2023 Stradbroke Handicap Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Stradbroke Handicap 2023 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

Stradbroke Handicap Tips

Stradbroke Handicap tips include looking for horses coming off a nice Brisbane lead-up run in a race like the Doomben 10,000 or Kingsford Smith Cup, those proven at the track and previous winners at the distance.

Six-year-olds also have an awesome recent record in the race with six wins from 2008 – 2023, most recently Tyzone (2020), so backing a horse of this age with the right lead-up form is another good Stradbroke Handicap betting tip.

2023 Stradbroke Handicap Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ top Stradbroke Handicap 2023 betting tips detailing the sprinters to back and sack in the $3 million Group 1 plus exotic Stradbroke Handicap selections will be available below the week of the race so stay tuned.

• To Win: #9 Think About It ($3.10 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Really hard to knock a horse going this good with plenty still to give. Joe Pride’s So You Think four-year-old has gone from strength-to-strength answering every challenge with a bullish performance. Last time out he raced at Eagle Farm and was very good rising in grade for a WFA triumph here in the Group 2 Kingsford Smith Cup. He’ll need to be good again going up to 1400m, but gets his shot dropping notably in weight back to 54kg. Sam Clipperton continues associations as the galloper chases win number seven on the trot. Barrier 12 (potentially into 9) is ideal. It’s a tough double to do, but this horse looks to have the upside and talent to get the job done again. Back don’t sack.

Stradbroke Handicap Results

Favourites have a poor recent record in the race and upset Stradbroke Handicap results are not uncommon.

The longest-priced winners in the past decade include River Lad ($31 in 2014), Linton ($26 in 2013), Mid Sumer Music ($31 in 2012), and Mr Baritone ($31 in 2008).

Notable recent Stradbroke Handicap winners include Think About It (2023), Trekking (2019), Sincero (2011), dual champion Black Piranha (2009-10) and Sniper’s Bullet (2007).

There have been eight dual Stradbroke Handicap winners throughout history with Black Piranha (2009, 2010); Rough Habit (1991, 1992); Daybreak Lover (1984, 1986); Lucky Ring (1949, 1950); Petrol Lager (1934, 1935); Highland (1925, 1926); Gold Tie (1918, 1919); and the first Babel (1895, 1896).

Past Stradbroke Handicap Winners

Recent Stradbroke Handicap winners and place-getters dating back to the year 2000 are detailed in the below table.