It’s been more than a week since the Stradbroke Handicap, but the performance of Yellow Brick still resonates with Tony and Maddysen Sears, who continue to reflect on how close they came to winning Queensland’s biggest race.
While the sting of narrowly missing out remains, their focus has now shifted to spring, with a major Sydney target in the Group 1 Epsom Handicap firmly on the radar.
Yellow Brick is currently enjoying a short spell and will resume training soon, with his next run planned in the Group 3 Show County Quality (1200m) at Randwick on August 23 following a couple of barrier trials.
The gelding’s Queensland campaign included a disappointing finish in the BRC Sprint (1350m) when racing on pace, but a change in tactics delivered a much-improved performance in the Stradbroke, flashing home for second behind War Machine.
“We own him so we don’t have to race him much,” Tony said.
“We put the work into him at home and we know what we need to do to have him ready.
“He’s a strong horse and he came through the Stradbroke well.”
That effort earned Yellow Brick a Racing and Sports rating of 119, just shy of War Machine’s 120, and comfortably within the range of past Epsom Handicap winners, who average a mark of 117 over the last seven years.
Yellow Brick’s career earnings of nearly $2.2 million from eight wins and nine placings across 22 starts are a huge return on the $20,000 spent at the 2021 Gold Coast National Yearling Sale, in partnership with Paul Moroney.
He is currently listed as a $51 outsider for the Epsom, where Chris Waller’s Autumn Glow heads the betting at $3.50.
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