Last Saturday’s Recognition Stakes winner Crack Me Up has earned himself a trip to Sydney for the Group 2 $250,000 Villiers Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on December 16.
Crack Me Up, above in blue and white colours, will head to Sydney for the Villiers Stakes at Randwivck. Photo by Daniel Costello.
Crack Me Up was having his second run back from a spell when he scored a one and three quarter lengths win over Torgersen in the Listed $100,000 Recognition Stakes (1350m) at Doomben on the weekend.
Trained Liam Birchley had no hesitation in pin pointing the Villiers Stakes as Crack Me Up’s immediate Summer target, bypassing the rich Magic Millions Race Day at the Gold Coast in January..
“Things worked out really well for him today (In the Recognition Stakes) and it was a very good win,” Birchley said.
“He had to shift ground a few times but he finished the race off very strongly.
“He’ll run next in the Brisbane Handicap and if he’s still going well he’ll go to Sydney for the Villiers.
“Crack Me Up shouldn’t get too much weight in the Villiers and he’s a good stakes-class horse.”
“Unfortunately, there’s no race suitable for him at the Magic Millions.”
“Whether we then come back for the Bernborough Stakes in Brisbane is up in the air.”
Crack Me Up resumed from a spell for a first second to Brooklyn Storm in a 1200m BenchMark 85 Handicap at Doomben on November.
The Mossman four year old showed that the 1600m of the Villiers Stakes was his pet distance during the 2017 Queensland Winter Carnival with a second to Religify in the Listed $100,000 The Wayne Wilson (1600m) at Doomben before winning the Group 3 $125,000 XXXX Sunshine Coast Guineas (1600m) at the Sunshine Coast.
Crack Me Up then returned to Doomben to win the Listed $100,000 Sky Racing Tattersall’s Mile over 1600m at Doomben on July 22.
Crack Me Up is a winner of four his race starts from eighteen outings with prizemoney earnings of $362,500.