No Stradbroke for Jimmysstar as Spring Beckons

Bets.com.au Staff

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Last updated: Tue 02 Jun 2026 04:34

Bets.com.au Staff 2 hours ago

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Jimmysstar will skip the Stradbroke Handicap and be spelled
Set to resume in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes before key spring targets
Options include Makybe Diva, King Charles III, or The Everest

Jimmysstar won't contest the 2026 Stradbroke Handicap. (Getty)

Despite a narrow loss as favourite in last Saturday's Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup, Jimmysstar will be spelled and will miss the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap, where the Ciaron Maher-trained gelding had been allotted the 58.5kg top weight.

Part-owner Ozzie Kheir confirmed the news on Giddy Up with Gareth Hall, revealing connections have opted to freshen up the three-time Group 1 winner with the spring in mind.

The current plan is for Jimmysstar to resume in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) on August 29 before a decision is made on whether he stretches out to a mile for races such as the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes and potentially the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes.

Alternatively, connections could freshen him up after the Memsie and target another crack at The Everest, having finished an unlucky third behind champion sprinter Ka Ying Rising in the 2025 edition of the $20 million feature.

Although he has not saluted in five runs this campaign, there have been encouraging signs since his first-up seventh in the Group 1 William Reid Stakes, with competitive performances at the highest level in both Sydney and Brisbane.

The highlights have been his third placing in the Group 1 All Aged Stakes, where he performed strongly against the pattern of the Randwick meeting on April 18, and his runner-up finish in the Kingsford Smith Cup at Eagle Farm on May 30.