Red Tracer’s undeniable claims to Saturday’s Stradbroke Handicap 2014 are tempered by one startling statistic.
The outstanding mare has won 12 stakes races but only one of those, her 2012 Premiere Stakes victory, was achieved against the males.
It’s an anomaly trainer Chris Waller is keen for Red Tracer to rectify at Eagle Farm.
“In the George Ryder this year, the Doncaster last year, the Emirates one year, they were all against the boys and they’ve all been her downfall,” Waller said.
“But they’ve all been at the end of her prep as well.”
Waller could have taken the easier option with Red Tracer and bypassed the Stradbroke in favour of the Dane Ripper Stakes on the same program.
He concedes she would have been virtually unbeatable in that race.
But a desire to run his best horses in the best possible races swayed him to give her another chance to topple the males.
“She’d win the Dane Ripper again every day of the week but she’s got two Group One wins next to her name and what’s another Group Two going to do for Red Tracer? No disrespect for the race but it’s not going to do anything to her value,” Waller said.
“This allows Red Tracer to run for $1 million in prize money and she’s a very good horse.
“And she’s got a Group One (Tatt’s Tiara) in two weeks as well when she can come back to fillies and mares grade.”
Red Tracer will be one of at least two Stradbroke runners for Waller along with Velrosso and possibly Masthead who is first emergency.
All three have drawn wide with Masthead and Red Tracer alongside one another in gates 15 and 16 and Velrosso in 21.
Three-year-olds Srikandi and Hucklebuck remained the TAB’s $5 equal favourites on race eve with Red Tracer a $9 chance.
Srikandi’s jockey Glen Boss believes Red Tracer and Darley four-year-old Knoydart, fifth in the Doomben 10,000, will be the hardest for the filly to beat at the weights.
The last filly to win the Stradbroke was Private Steer in 2003 when Boss rode her at 48kg.
Srikandi has 51kg, five kilograms less than Red Tracer and 2.5kg less than Knoydart.
“She is only getting five kilograms off proper Group One mares like Red Tracer so it’s her real big test,” Boss said.
“Red Tracer has been flying and has had a freshen-up and two great trials and I thought Knoydart in the 10,000 was super.