Second thoughts on Brisbane for Houtzen

Trainer Toby Edmonds is having second thoughts about running Golden Slipper second favourite Houtzen at Eagle Farm after she was given a higher weight than he expected..

Houtzen received 63kg in Saturday’s QTIS Two-Year-Old (1000m) for her first run since winning the Magic Millions Two-Year-Old Classic on January 14.

Edmonds is now considering other options.

The filly worked between races at Doomben on Saturday but Edmonds wants her to have one start this weekend in the lead-up to the $3.5 million Golden Slipper on March 18.

Houtzen is the $7.50 second favourite behind She Will Reign to win the Slipper.

Edmonds has also entered her for the Reisling Stakes at Rosehill and the Black Opal Stakes in Canberra on Sunday.

Edmonds was taken aback by Houtzen’s weight as he expected her to get 61kg or 62kg.

“I will have to have good think and decide on whether to run her in Brisbane,” Edmonds said.

“I suppose I could claim but we will have to have a good think and discussion with the owners.”

“My preference was for Brisbane but that also depended on the weather. They are predicting heavy rain but it hasn’t arrived as yet and hopefully it will stay away.

“She needs to run this weekend and that is why we have given ourselves the three options.”

Houtzen will have to set a modern day weight carrying record if she is to win in Brisbane on Saturday.

Eye Liner was the darling of Queensland racing in the mid 1960s winning nine races in the 1964-65 season and six of those were with nine stone (57kg) or more.

She set a Brisbane weight carrying record of 10 stone 12 lbs (69kg) for a two-year-old when she won at Eagle Farm before going to Sydney to win the 1965 Champagne Stakes.

The equal record holder for a juvenile is the colt Maybe Lad who also carried 69kg to win in 1965.

No two-year-old since has won with anything like those weights.

The biggest weight carried to victory in a metropolitan standard two-year-old race in the past 20 years is believed to be 60kg by Wicked Intent at Ipswich two years ago.