Sydney form can strike with Sibaaq

By Danny Matthews 

Fans of 'SF', Sydney form that is, are likely onto this but at double figure odds, Sibaaq could be one who gets away from some.

A drifter in markets out to $11 on Friday, trainer Declan Maher thinks that despite his surname, his relatively new stable set-up near the Gold Coast racecourse still adds a few more points to his runners' prices against more familiar names located closer to Brisbane.

Sibaaq finished fifth in the Group 3 Parramatta Cup at Rosehill on February 21 and returns to his home track in the Gold Coast Stakes on Saturday.

"I think that is a general thing with a few of my runners these day as they usually get a bit of extra odds, but we are building the stable and fresh trainers to Queensland," Declan Maher said. 

"In a lot of his starts I think he has blown out in the market.

"He was out to $27 when he just missed out (on winning) by a stride in the Mayor's Vase.

The eight-year-old ran to a Racing and Sports rating of 108 at his Sydney outing which followed a 113 when narrowly beaten in the Gold Coast Mayor's Vase on January 23.

Only $23 chance and topweight Victoria Road has notched similar figures this time in.

Maher references Parramatta Cup champion Piggyback having finished fourth in the Listed Randwick City Stakes last Saturday and Travolta who also filled the placings finished third in the Listed Canberra Cup on Sunday.

"He went to my brother Ciaron's farm in Bong Bong for a week after the Sydney run and his last six weeks have been relatively quiet for him," Maher added.

"He has only needed a couple of bits of work back home and he likes to get down to the beach at The Spit which is more to keep a smile on his face. Hopefully tomorrow he can do the rest."

The Gold Coast meeting features Queensland's owner's incentive scheme races with the running of the QTIS 2YO Jewel and the QTIS 3YO Jewel both over 1200 metre and worth $500,000 each.