Saturday’s Eagle Farm best bets & quaddie | April 29, 2023
| What | Eagle Farm Races |
| Where | Eagle Farm Racecourse – 230 Lancaster Rd, Ascot QLD 4007 |
| When | Saturday, April 29, 2023 |
| First Race | 11:28am AEST |
This Saturday will mark the official beginning of Brisbane’s winter carnival, with Queensland Guineas Day to be held at Eagle Farm Racecourse. There will be three highlight events across the nine-race card: the Group 2 Queensland Guineas, Group 2 Victory Stakes and Listed Dalrello Stakes.
The track is currently rated a Soft 5, and with rain forecast to fall in the area on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, we expect to begin racing in the Soft range with a slight chance of a downgrade during the program. The rail will be pushed out a further 2m from the last meeting two weeks ago to the +5m position for the entire circuit.
The first race on Queensland Guineas Day is set to jump at 11:28am AEST.
Queensland Guineas Tip: Kovalica
In the 1600m feature for the three-year-olds, the Chris Waller-trained Kovalica will be second-up after a very good return in the Listed South Pacific Stakes at Randwick on April 8. This gelding went into his fresh run with only one barrier trial, and even though he was first-up over 1400m, he lengthened very nicely down the outside in the final 200m to finish third by 2.7 lengths. Now that he steps up to 1600m on Saturday and returns to Queensland, where he finished off his first racing campaign with back-to-back wins, this son of Ocean Park appears to be ideally placed. Nash Rawiller will be legged aboard for his first go on the horse and will have to ride him similarly to how James McDonald did last start, as he will have to jump from barrier 11. If Rawiller can get Kovalica to settle on the outside of runners just worse than midfield and start to make his run from the 600m mark, he should prove too good for this field.
Queensland Guineas
Race 9 – 
#3 Kovalica (11)
3yo Gelding | T: Chris Waller | J: Nash Rawiller (57kg)
Victory Stakes Tip: Rothfire
The Robert Heathcote-trained Rothfire comes into the second Group 2 race of the day through the Listed Ascot Quality Handicap, where he finished second behind Prince Of Boom as the race favourite. This five-year-old gelding will meet his rival much better at the weights for this Saturday’s race, carrying 58.5kg instead 61kg while Prince Of Boom rises from 55.5kg to 58.5kg. There are some top-line Group 1 performers in this race, with the likes of Private Eye and Paulele, although both of those horses’ last-start performances makes us query how well they are going at the moment. This son Rothesay had a very good spring campaign in Victoria, winning the Group 2 McEwen Stakes and running second in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley before running fifth in the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes at Ascot. Nash Rawiller will jump aboard for his first ride on this gelding, and he should be able to find the back of the leaders from barrier nine and put himself in a good position upon settling. With a lack of speed in this race, expect Rothfire to hold a prominent position and kick clear with 200m to go.
Victory Stakes
Race 8 – 
#4 Rothfire (9)
5yo Gelding | T: Robert Heathcote | J: Nash Rawiller (58.5kg)
Dalrello Stakes Tip: Party For Two
The third of the feature races will be the Dalrello Stakes for the two-year-olds over 1000m, and the Steven O’Dea & Matthew Hoysted-trained Party For Two looks to be the runner with the best form. Last preparation, this daughter of Sidestep won back-to-back races at the Sunshine Coast and Doomben by an average winning margin of five lengths, before going to Victoria to finish second in the Group 2 Blue Diamond Prelude and then 11th of 16 in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes. This filly hasn’t raced for the O’Dea & Hoysted team yet, but she has been given one trial at Deagon, which she won, in preparation for this first-up run. Ben Thompson rode Party For Two in her trial win and has chosen to stick with her for Saturday’s race, so if he can settle her in the first two or three from barrier three, she should be able to kick clear early in the home straight and prove way too good for this field.
Dalrello Stakes
Race 4 – 
#4 Party For Two (3)
2yo Filly | T: Steven O’Dea & Matthew Hoysted | J: Ben Thompson (55kg)
Best Bet at Eagle Farm: Antino
The Tony Gollan-trained Antino will be second-up in the Benchmark 85 Handicap over 1400m, coming off a very impressive win over 1200m first-up last start. This five-year-old gelding has taken his record to five wins from six starts, with his only loss coming at the Eagle Farm 1600m in The Gateway last preparation. However, the field that this son of Redwood meets on Saturday is much weaker than what he faced in The Gateway, so he appears to have found a nice race to improve his rating and earn his way into some decent events during this year’s Queensland Winter Racing Carnival. James Orman has ridden this gelding at all six of his career starts and will continue that streak when he is legged aboard this weekend. Barrier 10 is a little sticky, but with Antino’s ability to settle on-pace or mid-field, he should be able to overcome the barrier and still win this race.
Best Bet
Race 7 – 
#9 Antino (10)
4yo Gelding | T: Tony Gollan | J: James Orman (58.5kg)
Next Best Bet at Eagle Farm: Spirit Queen
The fifth race of the day will be a very competitive 3YO Quality Handicap over 1300m, where the Steven O’Dea & Matthew Hoysted-trained Spirit Queen will be looking to bring up her second win at her 10th career start. Last start, this three-year-old filly was beaten half a length by Ekaterina after they both flashed down the outside to overrun the leader, Memoria, in the final 100m of the race. All three of those runners will clash again in this race; however, this daughter of Spirit Of Boom will only rise 1kg, while Ekaterina will rise 2.5kg. Spirit Queen will jump from barrier five and get the services of Ben Thompson, who is the only jockey to win on her in her short career. If Thompson can have her settled on the outside of runners and get her to the outside with 400m to go, she will be finishing strong over the top of the leaders.
Next Best
Race 5 – 
#7 Spirit Queen (5)
3yo Filly | T: Steven O’Dea & Matthew Hoysted | J: Ben Thompson (54kg)
Eagle Farm quaddie tips for Queensland Guineas Day
Eagle Farm quadrella selections
Saturday, April 29, 2023
- 3-7-9-11-14
- 3-6
- 1-3-4-8
- 2-3-5-7
Investment: $160 for 100%