Top Sydney trainer Chris Waller is considering a trip to Brisbane for the esteemed Stradbroke Handicap with his young, gifted filly Red Tracer following her impressive win at Randwick over the weekend.
A three-year-old daughter of Dane Shadow, the pint sized Red Tracer showed her talent was greater than her mass when she backed up from her Canterbury win in the Listed P J Bell Stakes (1200m), overcoming a wide barrier and muddy conditions to take out the Listed James H B Carr Stakes (1400m) on Sydney Cup Day by one and a half lengths over Flokkati.
The gallant effort from Red Tracer has Waller looking at the $1 million in stakes on offer in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm on June 11 during the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival.
“We could look at the Stradbroke,” Waller said.
“Three-year-old fillies have a great record in that race.”
The last filly to win the Stradbroke Handicap was the Barry Baldwin-trained La Montagna back in 2006.
“But she (Red Tracer) is not a very big filly,” Waller continued.
“She’s only fragile, and the fillies that have won the Stradbroke have been big, strong fillies.”
Connections chose not to test Red Tracer at elite level earlier in the autumn when she bypassed the Group 1 Coolmore Classic (1500m) at Rosehill on March 19 despite her strong form having run a close second in both the Group 2 Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) on February 12 and the Group 2 Surround Stakes (1400m) on March 5.
“It takes her a few days to get over her runs and that’s why we decided not to have a go at the Coolmore Classic earlier this preparation,” Waller said.
“I have no doubts she’ll be a good filly in the spring and if you go to the Stradbroke it doesn’t give you a big break before the spring.
“I have to remember that she’s only a baby still and we’ll consider that when making our decision.”
In-form hoop Glyn Schofield was aboard Red Tracer for the James HB Carr Stakes win before a nasty fall from Hawk Island in the Sydney Cup later in the day.
Schofield broke his collarbone in the fall and could not take the mount aboard boom sprinter Hay List for their win in the Group 1 All Aged Stakes.
The James HB Carr was the third time Schofield had paired with Red Tracer and he was impressed with the up-and-coming filly.
“This filly is just a load of talent,” he said.
“She’s not very big and that’s probably the one thing that’s not in her favour.
“But one thing she has got is lots of heart.”
Red Tracer is a full-sister to Waller’s Group 1 The Galaxy winner Shellscrape and has now started nine times for five wins, four minor placings and over $345,000 in prize money.
