Cat given 'tempting' offer

Trainer Greg Eurell has not ruled out a start in next month's Group One Stradbroke Handicap for Apache Cat after his star sprinter was on Monday lumped with the top weight of 59kg for the $1,000,000 race.

While admitting it would be 'tempting' to run the five-year-old in the Stradbroke, Eurell said he would be guided by how Apache Cat ran in the weight-for-age Doomben 10,000 over 1350m on May 24.

"If he looks like he's still up and running, I suppose it's got to be a possibility," Eurell told Sportal.

"At this stage, (I'm) not thinking much beyond the 10,000."

Eurell had been expecting Apache Cat to receive 60kg for the Stradbroke and admitted to being 'pleasantly surprised' by the handicapper.

"If it had been something like that it would have been a big negative but 59, you're not far off the WFA scale there," he said.

"I honestly expected a little bit more."

Eurell had said on Saturday, following Apache Cat's narrow in the BTC Cup, that the sprinter was unlikely to run in the Stradbroke.

The Peter Snowden-trained Paratroopers was next in the weights with 57kg, ahead of Victorian sprinter Magnus (55.5), veteran galloper Honor In War and last year's winner Sniper's Bullet, which have both been asked to carry 55kg.

Anthony Cummings' in-form miler Casino Prince was not included in the weights as connections do not have to lodge a late entry until May 28.

South Australian mare Vormista has only 52.5kg, a weight drop of 3.5kg from her gallant defeat in the BTC Cup.

Pinnacles has 52.5kg, three more than what he carried when third in last month's Doncaster Handicap.

Brisbane mare La Montagna rises to 53kg after carrying 46kg to victory in 2006 when a three-year-old.