2025 Cox Plate not off the table for Linebacker

Connections of Linebacker will be hoping class can overcome a tricky barrier draw when the colt resumes in the Group 2 Tramway Stakes at Randwick this weekend.

Trainer Tom Charlton remains unfazed about the wide gate. “We’d rather get it out of the way early,” he said. “This run will bring him on, and he’s going to improve with it.”

The Randwick Guineas winner is on a path to the Group 1 Epsom Handicap, with options afterward including the Golden Eagle or even the Cox Plate. “He could get 2000 metres, he’s shaping that way,” Charlton said.

At the same meeting, Brad Widdup’s Jedibeel will step out in the Group 3 Concorde Stakes (1000m), fresh from being scratched out of the Moir Stakes. Already a Challenge Stakes winner at Randwick, Jedibeel will take on Group 1 performers Jimmysstar, Mornington Glory and Lady Shenandoah.

“He’s at the top level now and there’s nowhere to hide,” Widdup said. “But he’s a good first-up horse, he’s fit and in order.”

With Mulberry Racing securing an Everest slot, Jedibeel’s performance on Saturday will be a key guide to his spring trajectory.

Punters can track both Linebacker and Jedibeel in Saturday’s features via early odds on trusted betting sites.