Kiwi stayer Megablast remains at the top of the betting odds on race eve for the 2018 Group 3 $150,000 The Queen’s Cup (3200m) at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday.
Trainer Kris Lees, above, will saddle up Douklan in the 2018 The Queen’s Cup at the Sunshine Coast. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
The Nigel Tiley trained Megablast is still in the red at $1.95 at Ladbrokes.com.au after opening at $1.90 when the final field was released on Wednesday.
Megablast is chasing back to back wins at the Sunshine Coast after scoring a dominant win in the Listed $175,000 Scott McMahon Electrical Caloundra Cup (2400m) a fortnight ago.
The Shinko King six year old handled the heavy track conditions to perfection last start and will get a similar surface this weekend after the track was rated a soft 7 on Friday afternoon.
Megablast has drawn barrier two in the nine horse The Queen’s Cup field with Caloundra Cup winning jockey Damian Browne in the saddle again and goes up 2kg to 60kg this week.
“He’s got soft conditions again which suits,” Kiwi trainer Nigel Tiley told Racing Queensland News Desk.
“But the downside is he’s got a bit of weight to carry.”
The six year old grey has had one attempt at the 3200m for a fourth in the 2017 Group 1 NZ$500,000 Auckland Cup (3200m) at Ellerslie in New Zealand and Tiley is confident he will have no trouble handling the two miles this weekend.
“He had every chance in the Auckland Cup when he ran fourth and at one stage I thought he’d finish second but he got swamped near the line,” Tiley said.
On the second line of betting for The Queen’s Cup at Ladbrokes.com.au is the Kris Lees trained Doukhan at $4.20 ahead of Team Snowden’s Plot Twist at $6.50.
Plot Twist and Doukhan will be clashing again after finishing first and second in the $100,000 Stayers Cup over 3200m at Randwick on June 9.
