The final field of acceptances for Saturday’s Stradbroke Handicap 2014 has been announced with the capacity field of 18 starters plus five emergencies led by new 58kg top-weight Spirit Of Boom.

Set to run as Eagle Farm Race 8 at 3:40pm, weights for this year’s $1.36 million Group 1 AAMI Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) were raised half a kilo after the withdrawal of original 59kg top-weight Buffering.

With ‘The Buff’ out of the Stradbroke Handicap field the task of carrying the heaviest allocation falls to fellow Brisbane galloper Spirit Of Boom, one of two in the race for young trainer Tony Gollan along with Temple Of Boom.

Sequalo six-year-old Spirit Of Boom, to be ridden by Michael Rodd, has contested the past two Stradbrokes and is out to improve on their fourth behind Linton from last year’s Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival.

Since then they’ve won two Group 1 races, the William Reid in Melbourne and their Doomben 10,000 last time out in front of a home crowd.

In the 10,000, a race that has produced six of the past 10 Stradbroke Handicap winners, Spirit Of Boom narrowly nudged out their half-brother Temple Of Boom.

Seven-year-old Temple Of Boom, who will race on unlike Spirit Of Boom who retires to stud after the Stradbroke, has 56kg for Saturday’s clash with apprentice Tegan Harrison in the saddle.

Following Spirit Of Boom in the Stradbroke Handicap field and weights meanwhile with 56.5kg is the Gary Portelli-trained Rebel Dane.

The Sydney-based California Dane four-year-old was favourite in futures betting but has been occupying the second spot after their fourth in the Doomben 10,000.

It was a brave run, Rebel Dane beaten under a length, and one Portelli tips them to improve on as they get to the roomier course at Eagle Farm.

The only horse shorter than Rebel Dane in the latest Stradbroke Handicap odds meanwhile is Ciaron Maher’s in-form Dubawi filly Srikandi.

A late entry from connections after her win in the Group 3 Glenlogan Park Stakes (1350m) at Doomben on May 24, Srikandi has won all but one of her seven starts with her six most recent track appearances being successful.

The Glenlogan was her third Queensland win on the trot too and also the third time jockey Glen Boss rode her to victory.

Boss has retained the ride for her acid test on Saturday then, Srikandi dropping from 57kg last start down to just 51kg in the Stradbroke.

There are a number of other last start winners aside from Spirit Of Boom and Srikandi in the Stradbroke Handicap field this year including the Wez Hunter-trained Smokin’ Joey (55.5kg).

The Encosta De Lago six-year-old become a Group 1 winner in Adelaide back on May 10 with their The Goodwood victory, an effort they’ll be looking to repeat in Brisbane with Ben Melham retaining the ride.

Sacred Star meanwhile won their start in the Stradbroke just last Saturday when Tony Pike’s visiting Kiwi-trained four-year-old returned down under to take out the Group 2 QTC Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm.

After much anticipation over which horse would make the cut as the 18^th and final confirmed Stradbroke starter, the lucky galloper to scrape in was the Phillip Stokes-trained Hucklebuck (52.5kg).

A Chris Munce mount, the visiting Adelaide youngster won two on the trot in February including the Group 3 CS Hayes at Flemington and returned at Doomben on May 17 running fourth behind Havana in the Group 3 Fred Best Classic (1350m).

Fred Best Classic winner Havana meanwhile is the third emergency and will need some luck to get into the field.

Another recent Group 1 champion looking to make it a winter double in the Sunshine State meanwhile is the Noel Mayfield-Smith-trained Famous Seamus (56kg).

The Elusive City five-year-old scored a nice BTC Cup win, defeating Spirit Of Boom (2^nd) and Buffering (3^rd), back on May 10 but failed when ninth in the Doomben 10,000 last time out.

Also allocated 56kg for Saturday is the Chris Waller-trained Red Tracer, the Dane Shadow mare vying for her third Group 1 win.

She took out the Tattersall’s Tiara over this track and distance last year and was last seen running third in the Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) in Sydney in late April.

Waller is also represented in the race by outside chance Velrosso who is second-up here.

See below for the full Stradbroke Handicap 2014 final field, jockeys and weights with the barriers set to be drawn live from 10:30am.

As soon as the Stradbroke Handicap barrier draw is conducted our preferred online bookmaker Ladbrokes.com.au will be releasing their updated markets making now the time to sign-up with them to get in on the action!

2014 Stradbroke Handicap Final Field

Eagle Farm Race 8 (3:40pm) – 07/06/2014

#	Form (Last 10)	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Br.	Wgt.
1	124×221221	SPIRIT OF BOOM	Tony Gollan	Michael Rodd	0	58kg
2	x14157x254	REBEL DANE	Gary Portelli	Tommy Berry	0	56.5kg
3	135×390519	FAMOUS SEAMUS (NZ)	Noel Mayfield-Smith	Ryan Wiggins	0	56kg
4	1x211x1303	RED TRACER	Chris Waller	Nash Rawiller	0	56kg
5	805×866142	TEMPLE OF BOOM	Tony Gollan	Tegan Harrison (a)	0	56kg
6	0120×80361	SMOKIN’ JOEY	Wez Hunter	Ben Melham	0	55.5kg
7	2624x12x71	RIVER LAD	Natalie Mccall	Damien Oliver	0	55kg
8	57181×8780	CONSERVATORIUM	Gary Kennewell	Joe Bowditch	0	54kg
9	8x111532x1	SACRED STAR	Tony Pike	Timothy Bell	0	53.5kg
10	30×1113325	KNOYDART	John O’Shea	Kerrin McEvoy	0	53.5kg
11	3992017×40	BELLTONE	Kelso Wood	–	0	53.5kg
12	117x5165x5	VELROSSO	Chris Waller	Larry Cassidy	0	52.5kg
13	43x5111x53	EMBLEMS	John O’Shea	Chad Schofield	0	52.5kg
14	10×6453261	REPARATIONS	Anthony Freedman	Daniel Moor	0	52.5kg
15	D5x1400x00	LUCKY HUSSLER	Kent Fleming	Jason Taylor	0	52.5kg
16	000312466x	SCORPIO QUEEN	Kris Lees	–	0	52.5kg
17	1×211111	SRIKANDI	Ciaron Maher	Glen Boss	0	51kg
18	1312x118x4	HUCKLEBUCK	Phillip Stokes	Dom Tourneur	0	51kg
19e	24x755x342	MASTHEAD	Chris Waller	Chris Munce	0	52.5kg
20e	0x2120x520	INTO THE RED	Kelso Wood	–	0	51kg
21e	x566x16210	HAVANA	Paul Messara	–	0	51kg
22e	2111×5352	BELLE DE COEUR	Luke Price	–	0	52.5kg
23e	0397496×36	SCREAM MACHINE	Jason Coyle	–	0	52.5kg