Horse Racing

This Saturday the Gold Coast Turf Club will gear up for next week’s BMW Magic Millions Carnival by hosting an eight-race program featuring a number of exciting showdowns including the Bat Out of Hell Handicap 2012.

Scheduled to run as Gold Coast Race 7 at 4:20pm (QLD time), the $100,000 Attwood Marshall Lawyers Bat Out of Hell Handicap (900m) features a slick field of 12 summer sprinters, including three last start winners.

Suffering an early blow out wide in gate 10 is the Kelso Wood-trained Sequalo five-year-old Seek And Find who comes off three straight turf triumphs.

After a win over 1020 metres at Doomben on September 24, Seek And Find put an easy three lengths on their rivals in an Eagle Farm sprint in October and were last seen beating home Ready To Rip in a 1000 metre open handicap at the Farm on November 12.

Drawn far better in barrier five with ace hoop Chris Munce engaged is then the Norm Hilton-trained Toowoomba visitor Reilly Blue out for their third win on the trot.

Another Sequalo five-year-old, Reilly Blue was last seen taking out the Sky Racing Plus Handicap (1100m) at Doomben on Christmas Eve on a Slow &7) track, the known mudlark needing some rain on the ‘glitter strip’ if they are to be a serious threat on Saturday.

The final last-start winner in the 2012 Bat Out of Hell field is Trevor Stevens’ King Of Danes gelding All That, set to get a gun run from gate two as they back up from a first-up win over 800 metres at Ipswich on December 23.

Other notable hopes in the race include the Rob Heathcote-trained Mondean, Trevor Miller’s consistent Sunshine Coast galloper Big Tony, Inventory on the rails in barrier one and the Bruce Hill-trained Leapfrog who will wear the No. 1 saddlecloth.

Six-year-old Hurricane Sky gelding Leapfrog resumes after a short spell, the local Gold Coast runner last seen finishing seventh to Seek And Find at Eagle Farm on October 22.

A distant eighth placegetter behind the undefeated queen Black Caviar in the Group 2 Lightning Stakes (1000m) last February, Leapfrog has certainly been tested against the best and connections are hoping they can return to form this season and go one better than their second to Paprika on a Heavy (9) track in the Bat Out of Hell 12 months ago.

Twice placed at Group level when second in both the Group 3 Gold Coast Guineas and BTC Classic back in May of 2009, Leapfrog’s most recent win came at Doomben in the Jim Beam Handicap (1100m) on September 17.

“He’s a genuine old horse who has tried his guts out right throughout his career,” Hill said.

“He’s going as well if not better than he was last year – he’ll be pretty right come Saturday, I’m sure of that.

“He’s always had a few issues that we have to manage but we just go easy and play around with him at home and he’s right to go.

“This horse has good gate speed and he will be right up there.”

Whether it is a Saturday clash this weekend, or the upcoming Magic Millions races you are after odds on, we recommend Luxbet for all of your horse racing and betting needs.

Sign up with Luxbet today and take advantage of their $400 bonus bet offer, available when you deposit and quote the limited-time-only code BONUSBET!

2012 Bat Out Of Hell Final Field & Barrier Draw

Gold Coast Race 7 – 07/01/2012