Stradbroke Sendoff For Impending

Victorious in the G1 Stradbroke H. (1350m) 12 months ago, Godolphin's Impending (Aus) (Lonhro {Aus}) looks right on track to go back-to-back and capture the 2018 running of the time-honoured race.

A winner twice at the elite level already, both at the track and trip, the 4-year-old sat off them last start in the G1 Kingsford-Smith Cup before dashing home to take the prize, with Bjorn Baker's 3-year-old filly Champagne Cuddles (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) a little over a length away in third.

Dropping from the 55 kgs she carried that day to only 50 on Saturday, whereas Impending only drops 1.5, the weight pull should see a very interesting battle.

Matt Dunn's 4-year-old Care To Think (Aus) (So You Think {NZ}) has always been a horse that has been aimed towards the race, and with two good efforts in the Doomben 10,000 and the Kingsford-Smith Cup, the Tim Clark-ridden gelding does have to overcome a wide barrier, but as a get back and run-on horse, his significant weight drop should see him charging late.

Searching for his first Stradbroke win, jockey Jeff Lloyd took the ride on the lightly weighted 3-year-old Perast (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), and with the requirement to ride at a weight he hasn't been at since riding in South Africa, connections must be confident of a forward showing from the multiple stakes winner.

With a very good second-up record, the Chris Waller-trained Shillelagh (NZ) (Savabeel {Aus}) is a Group 1 winner over 1600m, and after a very positive fourth first-up in the G3 Glenlogan Park S. coupled with a significant weight drop from that run, the Michael Dee-ridden mare could be a sneaky chance at good odds.

In what could be his last run before retiring to stand at Aquis Farm, the Hayes, Hayes and Dabernig-trained Speith (NZ) (Thorn Park {Aus}) ran on encouragingly in the Doomben 10,000 and with the race conditions seeing him carrying 5 kgs less, it should make Craig Williams's job slightly easier, even though he has drawn the outside barrier.