Quest for Tricks

The Quest for Tricks Challenge is this week’s regular stakes race in Queensland. It brings together an even field of 9 starters all vying for the major share of the $ 65,000 purse. Carded for 4 year olds and above, the race is a 9.5 furlong event on the firm turf surface

Looking through the field we have

Drawn the inside is the Graywolf6 entry. Wild Trips is a homebred 4yo son of Forest Wildcat facing the starter fro the 27^th time, in an attempt to regain some of his past glory. Six months or so ago we wouldn’t have expected to see him here, as he was mixing it up in Graded company, and looking to have the world before him. But with a run of misfortune since his outstanding win in the Seventh King Eddie G2 in week 2524, his connections have dropped him as low as allowance company in Spain last start to rekindle the desire. He didn’t quite stay the 14 furlongs of that event, but ran well enough to suggest he may well be on the way back. 9/1 is a great price for a multiple graded winner, although the jockey selection does little to inspire confidence.

Barrier 2 will be occupied by the equal second favourite, I’vseenthelite, currently the leading earner in the venezuela5 camp. This one time claimer has come a long way since his transfer to this stable at the end of his 3yo season. Only starting 6 times at 4, exclusively in allowances, his patient trainer groomed him for a future stakes career, getting him across the line first twice, with a second and 2 thirds in 3 of the other 4 outings. Stepping up to stakes at 5 years of age, this son of Fantastic Light has a fourth and second at the higher level, and may well join the black type winning brigade this weekend.

In gate 3 we have the deserving favourite, Big Thunder, to be ridden by leading jockey C. Wyatt. This multiple stakeswinning son of Thunder Gulch is another to climb from the claiming ranks in earlier days. He comes into this off a stakes win over the same distance in France last start and trainer fugazi looks to have found the key in the middle distance grass events. Of slight concern is his apparent preference for the sting out of the ground. Both his stakes wins have been on rain affected going, but having said that he has been placed in both graded and ungraded stakes on the firm tracks.

From gate 4 we see one of the roughies. Mamool, a 4yo son of the somewhat obscure French sire Fado, the punterdoug entry comes into the race with just a maiden and nw2l allowance wins to show for his 21 start career. With just $19,000 in prizemoney and a career best speed rating of 88 it’s hard to see him worrying some of these, although he certainly knows the track better than most.

Mambo Rock’n Roll is due to line up at number 5. This beautifully bred son of Rock of Gibraltar is the current headline act of his breeder dcmambo. Accumulating a quarter of a million dollars in prizemoney in a 30 start career, he can boast 3 stakes wins among his six victories. He hasn’t been racing in his best ever form of late, having not visited the winners circle since week 2545, but he’s far too good to dismiss and represents reasonable value at the 6/1 on offer.

Duanewon is the first of two lightly raced up and comers who will start from adjoining barriers. Homebred in both senses of the word, being raced by his breeder and being steeped in Australian blood, this 4 year old son of Danewin has been solidly grounded for his step up to black type racing. His 16 runs have produced 3 wins, including his victory here over the mile at his most recent appearance 2 weeks ago. Trainer dowelly2 will have him primed for this, and he’s in with a genuine chance

Gate 7 sees the other up and comer, Berber, lining up for this tilt at the stakes class, his first since finding the going a bit tough in a couple of attempts at an earlier stage of his career. Equal on the second line at 4/1, the son of Hernando has won 4 races from his 16 starts. 2 starts back he recorded his first triple digit speed figure in an allowance victory, and rancher would have been slightly disappointed with his most recent third. He’s capable of producing the effort required here, and is one of several who can win this very evenly matched event.

It’s no surprise to see the techranger entry carrying the (IRE) tag, and Seanchai, the six year old son of Theatrical will carry 2 allowance wins from his last 5 starts into this event. The most experienced horse in the race with 37 previous starts, Senchai was given a very light 5 year old season, starting only six times. He raced well at 4, placing in three stakes events without managing to greet the judge. Has the patience worked, or are his best days behind him? This week’s race could well provide the answer

The outsider, both in post position and price, is Hot Teacher. albarrado’s homebred son of Tabasco Cat is a model of inconsistency, and must provide a constant source of frustration for his connections. Four less than impressive runs at five years of age were poor reward for a four year old Grade 1 winner, with a top speed rating of 117. On his day there is no way he would go out at 32/1 in this field, but unfortunately his lack of reliability, and the time passage since his glory days, have seen his respect diminish. There may be a bit of value here for bettors who chase a bit of value, but tread carefully.

Good luck to all trainers in this most open stakes event.