Victorian trainer Tony Noonan and his apprentice son Jake will be chasing a unique family victory with the mare Varenna Miss in Saturday's $1 million Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm.
Photo by Racing and Sports
Noonan will be a proud father if Varenna Miss wins the Stradbroke as she will present his son with the maiden Group One win of his career.
Jake Noonan gained his big opportunity after Jim Byrne, who partnered Varenna Miss at her last start when fourth in the G1 BTC Cup at Doomben, was suspended last weekend.
“When Jim Byrne got suspended and she was likely to only have 53 kilos, I just felt that we were better off going with someone that had some background with her and Jake has done plenty of work on her,” said the Mornington trainer.
“He knows the mare pretty well and I don't have any doubt that he'll be up to the task.”
Tony Noonan may feel he is also owed a Stradbroke win as he has previously had two third placings in the race with Benedetti and Ortensia and a fourth with Show No Emotion.
The problem confronting Varenna Miss is histry as no mare has Queensland's richest handicap race in 76 years since Capri in 1936.
Six females have won in the interim but they were all two and three-year-old fillies.
Noonan resisted the temptation to start Varenna Miss in the Doomben Ten Thousand and last Saturday's QTC Cup at Eagle Farm to focus on the Stradbroke would harm her chances.
“We deliberately bypassed the autumn in Melbourne and Sydney – she only had the one run in Sydney – with the idea of coming up here and having that run in the BTC Cup and working out whether she then went to the Doomben 10,000," Noonan said.,
"We just solely concentrated on winning the Stradbroke and hopefully we get it right.
“Eagle Farm is her type of track, she goes into this race lightly-raced and the 1400 will suit."
Varenna Miss didn't fare well at the barrier draw with gate 20. She jumps from barrier 17 if the emergencies don't gain a start.
