Late Stradbroke bid for top sprinter

By Glenn Davis

Self-confessed battler David McColm will have a final roll of the dice to earn a golden ticket into next week’s Stradbroke Handicap when Far Too Easy runs at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Far Too Easy needs to win the Group 2 Moreton Cup over 1200 metres to beat a ballot for Queensland’s famous $3 million sprint on June 10.

However, the four-year-old will have history against him as the Moreton Cup has become a hoodoo race for the Stradbroke, with no winner ever taking out the Group 1 sprint.

A total of 24 Moreton Cup - which was formerly the QTC Cup - winners have tried to win the Stradbroke but only five have placed.

Far Too Easy – a Kyle Wilson-Taylor mount – missed gaining an automatic Stradbroke start when scratched after being named an emergency in the Group 3 BRC Sprint at Doomben last month.

The son of All Too Hard has won seven of his 15 starts but hasn’t raced since finishing a close sixth to the Barry Lockwood-trained Fifteen Rounds in the Listed ATC Cup, formerly Prime Minister’s Cup, at the Sunshine Coast on May 6.

“We had to change tact with him after he missed getting a run in the BRC Sprint,” McColm said.

“It’s not ideal for him to be running over 1200 metres again but it’s something we’ve had to do.

“He’s looking for a lot further but this race looks to have a bit of speed in it so hopefully he’ll be storming home.”

McColm was forced to reassess plans with Far Too Easy after missing a run in the BRC Sprint and ear marked the Listed Eye Line Stakes at Ipswich as his likely mission.

“After he was scratched, we had to reassess things and we thought about running him in the Eye Liner or the Ramornie at Grafton,” he said.

“If he wins, we’ll consider the Stradbroke but if he doesn’t it’ll probably be the Eye Liner.

“We’re keeping our options open regarding the Ramornie but it’s still on our radar.”

McColm believes the Moreton Cup has plenty of depth but has two major concerns apart from his rivals.

“There’s two things against him,” McColm said.

“It’s 1200 metres when he probably wants further and Eagle Farm is a hard track and he jars up on them.

“There’s a tip around for some rain on race day and I’m already praying.”