Whichever horse beats Burdekin Blues in the Bat Out Of Hell Handicap will win Saturday's $100,000 Gold Coast dash.That's the straight-shooting tip from Burdekin Blues' usually conservative trainer Barry Baldwin as the horse shapes up for back-to-back victories in the 900m feature.Burdekin Blues injured himself when unplaced in the VRC Lightning following his win in this year's Bat Out Of Hell and has spent most of the past 12 months recovering from knee surgery.But the hulking six-year-old showe

Whichever horse beats Burdekin Blues in the Bat Out Of Hell Handicap will win Saturday's $100,000 Gold Coast dash.

That's the straight-shooting tip from Burdekin Blues' usually conservative trainer Barry Baldwin as the horse shapes up for back-to-back victories in the 900m feature.

Burdekin Blues injured himself when unplaced in the VRC Lightning following his win in this year's Bat Out Of Hell and has spent most of the past 12 months recovering from knee surgery.

But the hulking six-year-old showed he had made a full recovery from the injury with a brilliant first-up second behind Deer Valley at Doomben on December 18 and Baldwin said the horse would strip fitter on Saturday.

"Everything is fine with him and he will be very, very hard to beat," Baldwin said.

"I would have said he was about 90 per cent first-up and he ran a great race and he's fitter again now.

"I just hope the track is OK and if it is he will take a power of beating."

The track was upgraded from a heavy (8) to slow (7) on Friday morning and track manager Steve Andrews was confident the surface would be further upgraded to a slow (6) come race day providing the rain stays away.

Burdekin Blues will carry 61kg, the same weight he carried to victory in 2010, and has drawn ideally in barrier three.

The horse's regular partner Shane Scriven will take the ride and Baldwin sent a warning to rival jockeys, saying considering trying to cross Burdekin Blues and lead would be at their own peril.

"He's got a big weight but we've been a bit lucky with the barrier draw and it will take a very fast horse to cross him and lead," Baldwin said.

"He has done really well since his first-up run and I can't fault him going into this race."

Baldwin said providing Burdekin Blues meets his expectations on Saturday he would head to Sydney for a two-run campaign which will culminate in the Expressway Stakes, a race he won in 2009.

"A lot depends on tomorrow but if he wins decisively he will go down for an 1100-metre race at Canterbury on January 15 and then on to the Expressway three weeks later," Baldwin said.