Stradbroke potentially a race of firsts for Tregea, Waterhouse
Three years after trainer Steve Tregea decided to pass up on the opportunity to take up a ballot-exempt entry with Niccanova (Nicconi) in the Stradbroke Handicap (Gr 1, 1400m), the six-year-old gets his chance to take Queensland’s most famous race when he lines up in the feature this afternoon.
Niccanova won the Fred Best Classic (Gr 3, 1400m) at his fifth start, but Tregea instead opted to tackle the Queensland Guineas (Gr 2, 1600m) when the meeting was switched to Doomben.
At the time, Tregea said: “I am reluctant to say there is always next year for the Stradbroke. There are plenty of ups and downs in racing.”
So it has proven, with Niccanova taking three years to make it to the Stradbroke.
In 2018, instead of lining up in the Stradbroke, he made the trek up to Rockhampton for the Rockhampton Newmarket (1300m). Last year, he did make it to Stradbroke day but instead contested the Wayne Wilson Handicap (Listed, 1600m), finishing 10th to Vinland (Sebring).
After wins in the Brisbane Handicap (Listed, 1600m) and the Bernborough Handicap (Listed, 1600m) over the summer and a strong runner-up finish in the Victory Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) first-up, though, he looks to have earned his billing in the feature this time around. He will carry 53.5 kilograms, with Jimmy Orman taking the ride half a kilogram over his allotted 53 kilograms.
Of most note, though, is that Tregea would join a rare group should Niccanova win, for he would be one of the few people to have bred, owned and trained a Group 1 winner in Australia.
Tregea, who owns Windermere Stud on the Darling Downs and trains out of Clifford Park at Toowoomba, has a small, select group of mares on his property. Niccanova’s dam Dananova (Snippetson) is no longer one of them, though; she died suddenly in 2017.
For his part, Tregea is not getting too far ahead of himself about Niccanova, a $21 chance with TAB.
“I don’t worry much about records. I have to win the Stradbroke first and a lot of experts are saying I won’t,” Tregea said.
“I am told Tommy Smith bred, owned and trained the Golden Slipper winner Bounding Away. But I would never consider myself being mentioned in the same sentence as Tommy Smith.”
In order to add his name alongside Smith, though, Tregea has to overcome Smith’s daughter Gai Waterhouse, who prepares favourite Dawn Passage (Dawn Approach) with co-trainer Adrian Bott. Dawn Passage followed in Niccanova’s footsteps by winning the Fred Best Classic, although Waterhouse and Bott decided to press on.
Waterhouse has prepared 139 Group 1 winners, nine in partnership with Bott, but one race that has eluded her in her three decades as a trainer is the Stradbroke. She has finished third three times with Pharaoh (Sackford) in 1993, Kingsgate (Danzero) in 2002 and Shamekha (Secret Savings) in 2005.
“It would be a fantastic race to win,” Bott told RSN927 yesterday. “It’s a race I’ve always been very, very keen on. It would be great to do it alongside Gai for her first victory as well.”
Dawn Passage has drawn gate 23 but will jump from gate 18 should there be a full field, as expected, after scratchings. The dual Group 3 winner is looking to be the first three-year-old colt to win as favourite since Never Undercharge (Lord Seymour) in 1993.
“I’ve certainly learnt to not get too worried about the types of things that are out of your control. You’ve sort of got to deal with it and push on from there and work out how we can do the best job we can from that draw,” Bott said.
“Certainly, looking through the most recent results and history, it doesn’t look too bad out of that draw. There’s certainly positives to take from it and try not to look at it as a negative aspect.
“Just in behind the speed, quite prominent in the run would be an advantage to him. Obviously, we don’t want to be giving away too much of a start, we want to be able to capitalise on the light weight we have got.”
James Innes Jnr will take the ride as he aims to add to his Doncaster Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) victory on Nettoyer (Sebring) in April.
A Dawn Passage win would also give five-time Group 1 winner Dawn Approach (New Approach) his first worldwide top-level success as a sire; he has had five Group 1 placegetters, including Madhmoon, beaten a half-length into second in the Epsom Derby (Gr 1, 1m 4f) last year.
After standing five seasons in Australia, he has not returned since seeing out the 2018 breeding season at Darley’s Kelvinside.
He stood for €10,000 (A$16,250) at Kildangan Stud in Ireland this season.