2020 Stradbroke Handicap Results: Tyzone Wins in An Upset

The Toby & Trent Edmonds-trained Tyzone improved on a second in Queensland’s flagship race from last winter to take out the 2020 Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm in an upset on Saturday.

Tyzone (Photo: Steve Hart) - Races.com.au

Last year’s runner-up went one better with an upset win in the 2020 Stradbroke Handicap. Photo: Steve Hart.

Based on the Gold Coast, the six-year-old Written Tycoon gelding celebrated his first victory in more than a year saluting at double-figures in a thrilling photo finish in this year’s Group 1 $350,000 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m).

Last Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival Tyzone won the Group 3 BRC Sprint (1350m) at Doomben before running second to Trekking in the Stradbroke.

He returned in 2020 having run seventh only 1.45 lengths away in the BRC Sprint and fifth last start when 2.2 lengths off the winner Victorem in the Group 2 Victory Stakes (1200m).

Coming back from 57kg to 52.5kg for the Stradbroke, Tyzone was flying from a wide barrier with Robbie Fradd guiding the galloper to his 17^th victory.

“I know Toby and Trent (Edmonds) were on a war path to win this race with this horse and when a plan comes together to win a Stradbroke, the pinnacle of Queensland racing that’s pretty special, I’m so thankful to be involved,” Fradd said.

“We’d been discussing for months how to get him peaking for this day and we managed to pull it off.

“I wasn’t too concerned about being wide he’s used to it out there and we were always going to have to go there from the gate, still a mighty effort from the horse.

“I wanted a trail into the race but I wasn’t getting it from the horses in front of me, I knew how fit my horse was so I took off early got him to the outside and he did the rest.”

“At the 150 metres was when I thought I had the race and what a buzz to win this race that looked like it might not even go ahead if not for the government and racing Queensland.”

It was a huge result for co-trainer Trent Edmonds who only recently began training in partnership with his father Toby.

“What a horse!” he told Sky Racing post-win.

“He was coming off the corner pretty strong and all I could think of was that this is a replay of last year all over again, but this time he was travelling even better, what an effort to get there I’m lost for words.

“From the time we ran second last year we dedicated ourselves to preparing him to come back this year and go one better, for everything to fall into place and for the horse to do what he did today is just amazing.

“Horses simply don’t do what he does he’s a winning machine at the highest level and he does it the tough way as well.

“I’ve only jumped on the training wagon with Dad (Toby Edmonds) in the last year and am lucky enough to share in it, it makes me quite emotional thinking of all the work Dad (Toby Edmonds) has done with this horse over the years and to win a Stradbroke together is something I’ll never forget.”

It was a massive performance from the Stradbroke Handicap winner who was travelling wide at the top of the straight before getting up to defeat the Chris Waller-trained roughie Madam Rouge ($51) in a photo-finish quinella.

Third in the Stradbroke went to the Steve Tregea-trained Niccanova who weaved his way through the field, bursting through in a big late run to finish in the money.

Race favourite Dawn Passage crossed from the outside barrier to lead the field around, while Robert Sangster Stakes placegetter Bam’s On Fire kicked early to settle second on the inside.

The front runners were quickly challenged on the home straight however with Madam Rouge running a cheeky race down the outside along with the eventual champion Tyzone.

2020 Stradbroke Handicap Results

Finish	No.	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Margin	Bar.	Weight	Starting Price
1	6	TYZONE	Toby & Trent Edmonds	Robbie Fradd		16	52.5kg	$14
2	13	MADAM ROUGE	Chris Waller	Jason Taylor	0.2L	9	51kg	$51
3	3	NICCANOVA	Steve Tregea	James Orman	0.4L	12	53kg (cd 53.5kg)	$14
4	8	VEGA ONE	Tony Gollan	Jim Byrne	0.6L	15	52kg	$16
5	4	RANIER	James Cummings	Micheal Hellyer	1L	14	53kg	$26
6	14	OUTBACK BARBIE	Tony Gollan	Mark Du Plessis	1.5L	5	51kg	$41
7	16	DAWN PASSAGE	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	James Innes Jnr	2.3L	18	50kg	$4.20F
8	12	WINTER BRIDE	Toby & Trent Edmonds	Jake Bayliss	2.4L	11	51kg (cd 51.5kg)	$51
9	1	TREKKING	James Cummings	Michael Cahill	2.6L	17	58kg	$11
10	10	GRAFF	Kris Lees	Sean Cormack	2.9L	2	52kg (cd 53kg)	$31
11	9	CHIEF IRONSIDE (GB)	Kris Lees	Corey Bayliss (a)	3.4L	10	52kg	$31
12	17	HIGHTAIL	Peter & Paul Snowden	Blake Spriggs	3.6L	4	50kg	$15
13	5	VICTOREM	Jenny Graham	Dale Smith	4.3L	6	52.5kg	$10
14	2	KEMENTARI	James Cummings	Ryan Maloney	4.8L	7	55.5kg	$15
15	18	EXHILARATES	James Cummings	Taylor Marshall	5L	3	49.5kg	$12
16	11	DEEP IMAGE	Robert Heathcote	Ms Stephanie Thornton	5.2L	13	51.5kg	$21
17	7	CRACK ME UP (NZ)	Bjorn Baker	Justin Huxtable (a)	7.2L	8	52.5kg (cd 53kg)	$21
18	15	BAM’S ON FIRE	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Tegan Harrison	68.2L	1	51kg	$19
	22e	MILITARY ZONE	Peter & Paul Snowden			0
	23e	DELECTATION GIRL (GB)	Kris Lees			0
	21e	BANDIPUR	Kelly Purdy			0
	19e	BACCARAT BABY	David Vandyke	Micheal Hellyer		0
	20e	BRAVE SONG	Peter & Paul Snowden			0