The official start of the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival takes place at Doomben Racecourse today, Saturday May 14, with BTC Cup Day 2016 – scratchings and the latest track report for the meeting found below.

It is mostly sunny skies in Brisbane today with a top of 24 degrees and zero chance of rain, meaning the current Good (4) track rating is set to stay.

Doomben Track Report – 14/05/2016

• Rail: True
• Weather: Fine
• Track Type: Turf
• Irrigation: Nil last 24hrs, 9mm last 7 days
• Rainfall: Nil last 24 hrs, 0.5mm last 7 days
• Penetrometer: 4.9
• Track Rating: Good (4)

Racing kicks off at Doomben this afternoon at 12:15pm (AEST) with the eight-race BTC Cup Day card coming to a close with the Rough Habit Plate for Queensland Derby types at 4:41pm (AEST).

Four Group-status races and a Listed event make for five Black-Types on the line-up headlined of course by Race 7 at 4:06pm (AEST) – the $500,000 Group 1 BTC Cup (1200m) where 13 runners are left in the mix after the scratching of the Chris Waller-trained Counterattack (11).

See below for complete race day preview and scratchings before heading to Ladbrokes.com.au to back your favourites across the card at the guaranteed best odds.

Doomben Scratchings – 14/05/2016

Total Scratchings: 16

Race 1 (12:15pm) – $60,000 Green Options Racing QTIS Three-Years-Old Handicap (1050m)

#12 Lord Tscharke (13)

#14 Ima Showman (15)

#15e Brooklyn Storm (9)

Three-year-old sprinters take to the track in the first with a dozen left in the mix including Secret Saga ($3.40) and Divine Centuri ($3.50) battling for favouritism. Tony Gollan’s local Real Saga filly Secret Saga comes off a third at the track and distance from April 30 in the Listed Bribie Handicap (1050m) but goes up notably from 54kg to 57.5kg in the weights, while Stuart Kendrick’s I Am Invincible filly from the Sunshine Coast Divine Centuri has won two of her past three starts including the Listed Mick Dittman Plate (1000m) at home three weeks back.

Race 2 (12:51pm) – $60,000 Criscon Commercial + Industrial Construction Class 6 Plate (1100m)

#1 Sweet Serendipity (15)

#3 Gunnaza (9)

#5 Pinch River (5)

#9 Inz’n’out (4)

#10 Princefamous (14)

#14 Vienna Queen (13)

A host of gallopers come out of the Class 6 Plate for race two with the field down to nine runners led in betting by market mover Another Whiskey ($2.40) drawn the rails and shooting for three wins on the trot. Steele Ryan trains the four-year-old out of Deagon and the gelding comes off a good win over 1000m at the Sunshine Coast carrying two kilos less than his 57.5kg for this.

Race 3 (1:26pm) – $60,000 LED Super Screens BenchMark 85 Handicap (1350m)

#13 Comacina (15)

Fifteen runners remain in his handicap clash where the clear favourite is the undefeated Chris Anderson-trained Bradbury’s Luck mare Elegant Composure ($2.45). She’s drawn wide in barrier 10 for her regular jockey Jim Byrne to overcome, but she’s won all six of her starts so far including two at the track and three over the distance. Well-weighted on 55.5kg too after carrying 57kg to victory on April 23 over 1400m at the Sunshine Coast.

Race 4 (2:06pm) – $125,000 Group 3 JRA Cup (2000m)

#10 Astronomos (10)

The first of the Black-Types is the JRA Cup, a handicap clash down to just nine runners. Four of those are under $10 for the win including former Perth Cup winning mare Real Love ($2.70) now prepared by Darren Weir and who was third in the Group 2 Adelaide Cup (3200m) two back. Her biggest danger according to the bookies is early market mover Sir John Hawkwood ($3.20) who jumps from barrier one and comes off nice lead-up form in Sydney including a last start third in the Group 3 Neville Sellwood (2000m) in late March at Rosehill.

Race 5 (2:46pm) – $175,000 Group 2 Moet & Chandon Champagne Classic (1200m)

#8 Redouble (9)

The Team Hawkes-trained Redouble comes out of this two-years-old sprint for the JJ Atkins-bound youngsters where the unbeaten Tony Gollan-trained Captain Sonador filly Tiyatrolani ($2.15) is all the rage with the punters. She gets the inside run from barrier one, but one on her outside is the returning John O’Shea-trained Pago Pago Stakes winner Souchez ($4.80) at a big price.

Race 6 (3:26pm) – $100,000 Listed Singapore Turf Club Trophy Members’ Handicap (1600m)

#5 Berry Delicious (13)

#7 Le Val (14)

Two widely-drawn runners come out of this mile showdown leaving a field of 13 where the money is on the rails-drawn Jumbo Prince ($4.20) to go two better than his last start third in the Listed Primer Ministers’ Cup (1400m) at the Gold Coast only last weekend. Also short in the markets is Robert Heathcote’s perennial runner-up at the track Lordag ($4.40).

Race 7 (4:06pm) – $500,000 Group 1 BTC Cup (1200m)

#12 Counterattack (11)

Chris Waller is down to two runners in the opening Group 1 of the carnival after scratching smart three-year-old Counterattack due to a wide alley. He still has four-year-old Delectation ($14) in the day’s feature along with the red hot favourite, Japonisme ($3.50). Coolmore Stud Stakes winning Japonisme has the ideal barrier three draw and the money is coming for him to defeat last start Victory Stakes winner Fell Swoop ($4.60) who is out in gate 10 for this.

Race 8 (4:41pm) – $125,000 Group 3 Mittys Rough Habit Plate (2000m)

#7 Trafalgar (9)

A final field of 13 remain in the mix for this Queensland Derby lead-up where Waller’s last start Hawkesbury winner Mackintosh ($2.90) is tipped to handle the step up in distance. Cylinder Beach ($3.80) is the danger after winning the Gunsynd Classic for Desleigh Forster last start and drawing nicely for gate three.