Belltone fancied for Eye Liner
June 15, 2012 11:14:59 UK
Galloper Belltone has been the subject of a betting plunge in his mission to win tomorrow's Eye Liner Stakes at Ipswich.
I've never won the Eye Liner and it would be nice to win one.
Kelso Wood
Trainer Kelso Wood has enjoyed a top carnival in Queensland through his smashing two-year-old Sizzling, who last Saturday made it a clean sweep of Brisbane juvenile features when he scored a narrow win in the Group 1 T J Smith Stakes (1600m) at a $1.60 at Eagle Farm.
Belltone will be Wood's first runner in the Eye Liner (1350m) and he is confident of a win at his first attempt.
Wood's confidence has been buoyed by a plunge with punters backing Belltone from $3.50 into $2.80 favouritism.
Wood had hoped to have the six-year-old run in last Saturday's $1million Stradbroke Handicap (1400m), but the horse failed to qualify for the State's richest race after finishing second to Celtic Dancer in the QTC Cup (1300m) on a bog track at Eagle Farm a fortnight ago.
Belltone has drawn gate eight, with inside gates a big advantage on the tricky Ipswich track, and will be ridden by Queensland's leading jockey Chris Munce in the $175,000 feature.
"He raced on the worst section of the track in the QTC Cup," Wood said. "Even though he gets through heavy ground he’s better on top of it."
The Gerald Ryan-trained Adnocon became the first Eye Liner Stakes winner to jump from a double-figure draw since Quality Kingdom (13) in 1998.
Adnocon has drawn wide again in gate 10, but has top jockey Damian Browne on top.
"He's done extremely well since the QTC Cup and I think he’s a very good chance," Wood said. "The betting suggests he's going to take a lot of beating.
"I've never won the Eye Liner and it would be nice to win one. I won the Ipswich Cup one year with Awesome Weather."
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