Last year’s Stradbroke Handicap winner Impending heads up the nominations for the 2018 Group 2 $200,000 2018 Victory Stakes (1200m) at Doomben on Saturday.

Impending, above in royal blue colours, is among the nominations for the 2018 Victory Stakes at Doomben. Photo by Steve Hart.

Former champion jockey Darren Beadman was in charge of the Godolphin stable during the 2017 Brisbane Winter Carnival and as head trainer was on hand to saddle up Impending for a Group 1 win in the $1.5m Stradbroke Handicap (1350m) at Doomben.

James Cummings now heads the Godolphin team and is setting Impending on another Brisbane Winter Carnival mission.

Impending has only been back to the race track on two occasions since winning the Stradbroke Handicap with two appearances during the 2017 Spring Carnival for a second in the Listed $500,000 Sydney Stakes (1200m) at Randwick followed by a third behind Redzel and Terravista in the Group 1 $1m Darley Classic (1200m) at Flemington on the last day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

The Mick Bell trained Jungle Edge was also a visitor to the Brisbane Winter Carnival last year and is also among the ten nominations for the Victory Stakes.

Jungle Edge is a noted wet tracker and was able to claim victory on a Heavy 8 rated track in the Group 3 $125,000 Taxibox BRC Sprint (1350m) at Doomben last year but the seven year old struggled on the firmer tracks during the 2018 Sydney Autumn Carnival.

Jungle Edge was well beaten when tenth on a soft track in the Group 1 $700,000 The PFD Food Services Galaxy (1100m) at Rosehill on March 24 and then finished well down the track again on a dry surface when last of eleven in the Group 1 $2.5m Darley T J Smith Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on April 7.

Smart three year old filly I Am Excited is also a Victory Stakes entry and is coming off a last start third to Catchy in the Group 2 $600,000 Arrowfield 3yo Sprint (1200m) at Randwick on April 14.

Most Important, from the Tony Gollan stable, heads up the local contingent of sprinters and will line up in the Victory Stakes as a last start winner in the Listed $100,000 Sunshine Coast Cup (1400m) at the Sunshine Coast on January 27.

The nominations for the 2018 Victory Stakes have been extended until 9am on Tuesday, April 24 with the final acceptances taken on Wednesday morning at 9am.

Nominations for the 2018 Victory Stakes (1200m)