Pear Tart sale eases Stradbroke Handicap squeeze Patinack Farm speedster Pear Tart works Transonic at Flemington last spring. THE $675,000 sale of Patinack Farm Group 1 winner Pear Tart to an international breeding partnership has eased the squeeze in the race for a Stradbroke start. At this stage, Arinosa and Belltone fill the final two places in the top 18 to make the field for the $1,380,000 Stradbroke, but the winners of Saturday's Queensland Guineas and QTC Cup will gain automatic entry, potentially pushing that pair out of the field. There were 40 horses left in the Stradbroke when first acceptors were taken yesterday. Pear Tart (16th in order) is assured of a run but after being knocked down to bloodstock agent Adrian Nicol for $675,000 as part of the Patinack dispersal, she is unlikely to race again. "I'd say she will probably be retired and it's highly unlikely she will race on," Nicol said. She was bought as part of a partnership between the Niarchos family of France and Coolmore. The Niarchos' owned her grandmother and are excited about breeding with her. She will probably go to Pierro. Kelso Wood took the punt not to run Belltone in the QTC Cup, believing his best chance of winning the $1 million Stradbroke first prize was to have three weeks between runs and he was pleased to learn Pear Tart is a probable non-runner. Wood already has Sizzling and Spirit Song assured of a run in the Stradbroke and is desperate for BRC Sprint winner Belltone to join them. "I don't need the stress," he said of the wait to secure a run. Hopefully he gets in because he's beautifully weighted. Of horses running on Saturday, Hot Snitzel, Decision Time (QTC Cup) and Sizzling (Guineas) are already assured of a Stradbroke run. But the likes of Academus, Startsmeup, Conservatorium, Mahisara, Complicate, Boban, Miss Stellabelle, Al Aneed, Ferment, Reflectance, Smokin' Joey and Latin News could leapfrog into the field if they win on Saturday. Queensland's hopes of a home town win in Saturday's $400,000 Group 1 Oaks were dented by the barrier draw yesterday when Magic In Motion drew on the outside of the 18-horse field. Conversely, favoured runners Dear Demi (3), Gondokoro (1) and Vaquera (5) drew ideally. I have a healthy respect for Dear Demi. Certainly she has the score on the board against us but if we had had any sort of luck last start we might have levelled it up," Gondokoro's trainer Pat Carey said of the 3-1 scoreline to date between the two fillies. Annual carnival visitor Mike Moroney will have a shot at the Queensland Derby with yesterday's Doomben winner Ali Vital. "That's what he's up here for," Moroney said. You are only three once and he's a real stayer.