Don’t expect too much from Platinum Invador in opening bowl around Doomben on Saturday

Update: Scratched with temperature

Platinum Invador’s connections will be happy just to see him running on strongly in Saturday’s A$200,000 Chairman’s Handicap at Doomben.

The opening race of the horse’s Queensland campaign is over only 2000 metres, a distance expected to be too sharp for the Auckland Cup winner, says part-owner Neville McAlister, who races the horse with Lincoln Farms’ John and Lynne Street.

“This is the only race that leads in to the Premiers Cup (2400m) on May 27 and as long as he’s hitting the line we’ll know we’re on track.

“From the wide draw he’ll get back in the field and in what is a pretty strong field it will all be tempo related after that.

“They do tend to run a bit more in Queensland than other states and if there’s a lot of speed early that would bring him more into the race.”

Platinum Invador, who is stabled with Liam Birchley on the Sunshine Coast, is being looked after by trainer Lisa Latta’s experienced hand Jerram Wall, who first accompanied McAlister’s Platinum Witness on her Queensland Oaks campaign in 2015.

It is the seven-year-old’s second trip to Queensland after his aborted campaign in 2021 when he was found to have injured a tendon after running fourth behind Warning in the same Chairman’s Handicap.

Platinum Invador has only 1kg more to carry on Saturday, despite winning the Auckland Cup three starts back, but as a 58.5kg equal topweight he meets a stronger line-up.

Warning is there again, along with last year’s Chairmans winner the Chris Waller-trained Yonkers, who has been backed in from $11 to $8.50 with James McDonald aboard.

But the most favoured is Kris Lees’ lightly raced import Kalapour, part-owned by leading Kiwi owner Lib Petanga, who is getting 4.5kg from Platinum Invador ($18, $5).

“These are better horses than he’s been running against and even though getting back onto a good track will help him and he goes better that way round, we’re not expecting too much of him.”

Platinum Invador’s grand final is expected to be the Group II A$400,000 Brisbane Cup (3200m) at Eagle Farm on June 10.

Platinum Invador races at 4.43pm NZ time at Doomben on Saturday.