A rain affected track at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday for the running of the 2018 Group 3 $150,000 The Queen’s Cup (3200m) will suit the odds on favourite Megablast.
Jockey Damian Browne, above, will ride Megablast again in the 2018 The Queen’s Cup at the Sunshine Coast. Photo by Daniel Costello.
Megablast was able to lead for most of the way to win the Listed $175,000 Scott McMahon Electrical Caloundra Cup (2400m) at the Sunshine Coast a fortnight ago on a heavy 8 track and will get a similar racing surface this week.
The Sunshine Coast track was rated a heavy 8 on Friday morning and even though there is no rain forecast for the lead up t the weekend and on race day, the track is not expected to dry out significantly.
“He’s got soft conditions again which suits,” Kiwi trainer Nigel Tiley told Racing Queensland News Desk.
“But the downside is he’s got a bit of weight to carry.”
Megablast goes up 2kg to 60kg in The Queen’s Cup but has drawn in close at barrier two in the nine horse field with Caloundra Cup winning jockey Damian Browne in the saddle again.
The six year old grey has had one attempt at the 3200m for a fourth in the 2017 Group 1 NZ$500,000 Auckland Cup (3200m) at Ellerslie in New Zealand and Tiley is confident he will have no trouble handling the two miles this weekend.
“He had every chance in the Auckland Cup when he ran fourth and at one stage I thought he’d finish second but he got swamped near the line,” Tiley said.
Early betting for the 2018 Queen’s Cup at Ladbrokes.com.au has Megablast as the $1.95 favourite on Friday afternoon ahead of the Kris Lees trained Doukhan at $4.20 and Team Snowden’s Plot Twist at $6.50.
Plot Twist and Doukhan will be clashing again after finishing first and second in the $100,000 Stayers Cup over 3200m at Randwick on June 9.
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