Portelli out to strike knockout blow in Spring Champion Stakes 2025
Few trainers can spot hidden talent quite like Gary Portelli, and he’s confident he’s found two more that fit the mould.
Following the emergence of Kimochi last season, Portelli hopes Queen Of Clubs and Encap can again showcase his stable’s depth by toppling higher-profile rivals at Randwick this weekend.
Queen Of Clubs, a $20 chance in the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m), will look to redeem herself after a cardiac arrhythmia derailed her run in the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on October 4.
“She has come through the run well,” Portelli said.
“She’s had a couple of big bits of work since the race.
“They have a heart arrhythmia once and it never happens again. We were devastated during the Flight Stakes to see her basically fail to run on and that’s usually her go. She usually accelerates.
“They usually do bounce back. It is usually anomaly.”
Encap will also be looking to return to the winner’s list when contesting the Listed Five Diamonds Prelude (1500m), having finished close to Golden Eagle favourite Autumn Glow in the Group 1 Epsom (1600m) earlier this campaign.
“Encap is coming out of the Epsom and it was a good run,” Portelli added.
“He ran the second fastest last 600 of the race again from last. Hopefully things are run to suit for him.”
Encap sits at $15 in markets for the Five Diamonds Prelude, behind Toorak Handicap winner Transatlantic, who heads betting at $2.15 after the scratching of Rise At Dawn.
To have a flutter on the Spring Champion Stakes or Five Diamonds Prelude, check out the leading Australian betting sites including Sportsbet, Ladbrokes and TAB for odds and promotions.
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