Horse Racing Tips for the Stradbroke Handicap 2025

Has there ever been a more open Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap?

With the early favourite under the odds, and more than half the field priced $21 or longer, this year’s edition is a genuine wide-open contest.

Some of the bigger names are also racing below their best, further opening the door for value seekers.

On a firming track with a suitable speed map, one roughie in particular screams out as an each-way play you can’t ignore.

You can get my full set of tips for racing this Saturday via the link below.

Neil Evans’ 2025 Stradbroke Handicap Preview & Best Bets

Track Conditions

With mostly clear skies expected, the Soft 5 rating should be close to a Good 4 by race time.

The rail is out 4m, which should see runners trend towards the middle of the track over the final 300m.

This makes it crucial for backmarkers to build momentum wide into the straight.

Speed Map Overview

Expect a genuine tempo with:

• Front Page crossing from out wide to sit outside the likely leader, The Instructor.

• Golden Mile, Robusto, and Rise At Dawn enjoying sweet runs behind the speed.

• Favourite War Machine lands just behind this group with Spicy Martini alongside.

• Private Eye, Rothfire, and roughie Desert Lightning will settle a few lengths back, with Kimochi wider still.

• Bosustow, Yellow Brick, and Payline will be well back early, looking to sweep home late.

The Favourite – War Machine $3.20

While War Machine has been ultra-impressive winning his last two, $3.20 looks too short in a race this deep and competitive.

He’s fourth-up here (a slight question mark) and will have plenty of pressure around him.

While deserving to head the market, anything under $5.00 is poor value in this field.

Neil’s Best Bet – Bosustow $21

Forget Bosustow’s last-start flop at Doomben.

He drew the inside, was stuck in inferior ground, and was never comfortable.

Third-up now and drawn to settle wide off a strong tempo, this is exactly the set-up he needs to unleash that big turn of foot.

We saw what he can do when he thrashed a feature field at the Gold Coast earlier this prep.

Carries no weight, handles all surfaces, and is currently double the price he should be. Outstanding value each-way.

The Dangers

• War Machine ($3.20) - Dominant build-up, thriving on firm tracks, but short enough given the depth here.

• Rise At Dawn ($12) - Rock-hard fit, maps beautifully on-speed and drops significantly in weight.

• Private Eye ($17) - Trialling sharply and is a first-up specialist, will be storming home.

• The Instructor ($17) - Tough four-year-old who will give a big sight up front with just 52kg.

Neil’s Top 5 Selections – Stradbroke Handicap

1. Bosustow (Best Bet)

2. War Machine

3. Rise At Dawn

4. Private Eye

5. The Instructor

For thousands more tips including free selections for today's racing, head to Australia's best racing tips market at thegreattipoff.com.