Sears stable following Yellow Brick road to Stradbroke glory

By Andrew Smith

The father-daughter training team of Tony and Maddy Sears are hoping for a change in fortune both on and off the track when Yellow Brick looks to go one better in this Saturday’s Stradbroke Handicap.

The stable star finished second behind War Machine in last year’s running of the $3 million Group 1 event.

The five-year-old also finished last in the Kingsford Smith Cup in his last run two weeks ago.

Throwing a spanner in the works of their preparations this week, Tony’s car was stolen from the team’s training base at the Gold Coast Turf Club on Wednesday morning.

Despite all the setbacks, Maddy said they would be putting the disappointment of “Bricky’s” last start behind them for Saturday’s main event.

“The rain sort of hindered him leading into the Kingsford Smith - we ideally would have liked to get a trial in and then all the rain rolled in and we were going into it knowing that it wasn't his grand final,” Maddy said.

“We just thought he'll be peaking at some stage in the race, and then we just wanted to see him come home safe, but leading into Saturday’s work he has been brilliant.

“His second-up record's where we do see him have not his worse runs, but not his best ones - he's always super electric first up and then second up, his racing pattern changes a bit, and he gets a little bit carried away.

“That's sort of what happened in the Kingsford Smith, he jumped from barrier 16 and he was just caught in no man's land and he was just race fresh.

“He had a good hit out on Saturday with one of the other horses in the race, Welwal, on the course proper, and they both worked enormous, and Tuesday morning he worked on the course proper with Skyhook, and I couldn't have been any happier with his work.”

The Sears have plenty of reasons to not be concerned ahead of the 1400m trip on Saturday if last year’s form line is anything to go by.

Yellow Brick was at long-odds to produce a result in the 2025 Stradbroke after coming in 11^th in the Group 3 BRC Sprint earlier in the carnival.

He then surged home late to finish less than a length behind Lindsay Park star War Machine.

But with a win in the $1 million The Archer first up in this preparation, Maddy believed the bay gelding was primed to embrace his underdog status and make another charge for a Stradbroke crown.

“He's similar to last year, where he was kind of the forgotten horse, and I think he is again this year," Maddy said.

“He's won $4.2 million for a reason, and he is very talented, and the thing with this horse is when he’s down in the weights, that's when you really see him let rip.

“I get more nervous say when we're at the Archer, and he was the favourite, because there's pressure, whereas here on Saturday there's no pressure.

“He's not the headline horse, he's not anything like that.

“And Dad and I are very confident with the horse that we're taking to the races, and I think he's going to run a very big race again.”

The 28-year old admitted going agonisingly close in last year’s Stradbroke had played on her mind for the last 12 months.

There has also been some gentle ribbing from War Machine trainers Ben, Will and JD Hayes since that frantic finish that Maddy was keen to silence with a maiden Group 1 victory.

“I’ve thought about it a lot, and it gets reminded a lot - I'm quite good friends with the Hayes boys, and every time I see them, I say ‘thank you so much, you guys have had heaps, you've got your Group 1s and I haven't got mine yet,’’ Maddy said with a laugh.

“That was the hardest second I think I've ever had last year, but if he runs second in it again this year, I'll be over the moon.

“I'd love to win it - this early in my career, especially to be able to get a Stradbroke Handicap would just be phenomenal.

“It's the pinnacle race of the Queensland carnival, and I think it's the race every trainer wants to have on their resume.”

Yellow Brick was rated as a $41 chance to claim victory as of Thursday morning.

The galloper will jump from barrier 23 with Jason Collett on board, a gate that Maddy had been pleased to draw on Tuesday morning.

“I think I'd prefer to be a little bit out there rather than on barrier one or two,” Maddy said.

“He's a big horse that doesn't really enjoy being cramped up – I probably would have been much happier with 12 or 13, but it is what it is, and we can't change anything.

“I suppose one blessing is with it being Eagle Farm, the barriers can be a little bit more forgiving.

“It's a Stradbroke, they go hard and they're going to be fanning, there's going to be runs coming left, right, and centre.

“I'm glad to have Jason Collet on board, I'd imagine he's going to jump out, grab hold of him, just snake straight across and get him into a lovely position towards the back of the field with some cover.

“It'd be ideal, and hopefully I'd imagine he'll probably have a similar run to like he did last year.”