The combination of a significant class drop and experience in a race together has Craig Newitt confident The Inevitable is ‘the horse to beat’ in Saturday’s Glasshouse Handicap at the Sunshine Coast.

The pride of Tasmania heads into the $300,000 Listed 1400-metre event off a fourth placing in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) with Newitt aboard.

The Inevitable carried only 53kg in that event and jumps to 60.5kg in the Glasshouse, but Newitt said the weight hike would be partly offset by the fact he now knows the gelding’s idiosyncrasies, something he had been striving to do since he was a four-year-old.

“I trialled him in the lead-up to the Newmarket four years ago, but then I got rubbed out and couldn’t ride him in the race,” Newitt said.

“So, I’d ridden him in trials, but that was the first time I got on him in a race the other day.

“He’s a quirky old horse. He kept dropping the bridle on me, so I know I’ve got to be on top of him in that regard, but he’s still got the zest for it, that’s for sure.”

The Inevitable will be lining up for start number 39 in the Glasshouse, for which the eight-year-old is $6 joint second favourite with Wategos behind Tony Gollan-trained mare Wollombi ($5).

Before the Stradbroke Handicap, in which he was beaten 3-1/2 lengths, he finished seventh under 59kg in the Group 3 BRC Sprint (1350m) won by Here To Shock.

The son of Dundeel has drawn barrier three and while Newitt does not consider him a horse whose chances are dictated to by barriers, he does consider the spacious Sunshine Coast track an advantage.

“He hasn’t got much gate speed, so he’s probably going to get shuffled back a little bit, but the big track at Sunshine Coast is going to suit him.

“He’ll get his chance to wind up and he’ll be strong late.

“It looks very winnable race for him. He’s only got to run up to his Stradbroke run and he’ll be hard to beat.”