Group One placegetter Swift Alliance will launch trainer Gai Waterhouse's Brisbane winter carnival attack in the Group Two Victory Stakes at Eagle Farm on Saturday.The weight-for-age Victory Stakes (1200m), which attracted only 15 nominations, was formerly the Sir Byrne Hart Stakes and is the first Group race of the winter carnival.The winner is exempt from a ballot for four Group One races during the winter beginning with the BTC Cup (1200m) at Doomben on May 15 and culminating with the Winter

Group One placegetter Swift Alliance will launch trainer Gai Waterhouse's Brisbane winter carnival attack in the Group Two Victory Stakes at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

The weight-for-age Victory Stakes (1200m), which attracted only 15 nominations, was formerly the Sir Byrne Hart Stakes and is the first Group race of the winter carnival.

The winner is exempt from a ballot for four Group One races during the winter beginning with the BTC Cup (1200m) at Doomben on May 15 and culminating with the Winter Stakes (1400m) at Eagle Farm on June 26.

The two other Group Ones are the Doomben 10,000 (1350m) on May 29 and the Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm on June 12.

Jockey Nash Rawiller will head north to ride Swift Alliance after finishing third on the four-year-old entire to Ortensia in the Group One The Galaxy (1100m) at Randwick 10 days ago.

Swift Alliance, a seven-time winner from 12 starts, is owned by Gooree Pastoral Company and will race for another season before standing at stud.

"We normally geld our horses but he was such a good sort we decided to keep him intact," said Gooree racing manager Andrew Baddock.

"We think he's got a Group One in him but he won't be standing at stud for another season yet.

"There's been some interest for him to stand at stud in Victoria at the end of this season but it won't happen this year."

Waterhouse and Baddock have heeded advice from Rawiller and nominated Swift Alliance for the $1 million Stradbroke Handicap although the son of Don Eduardo hasn't raced beyond 1300 metres.

At his only start past 1200 metres, Swift Alliance was runner-up to Youthful Jack in three-year-old company at Randwick in November 2008.

"He's nominated for the Stradbroke and Doomben 10,000 but the BTC Cup and 10,000 will be good tests to see if he can go on to the Stradbroke," Baddock said.

"He's getting older and we think he's looking for further now.

"He hit the line strongly in the Galaxy and Nash believes he's looking for further now.

"Our first thoughts were to go straight into the BTC Cup with him but Gai considered it was too long between races so she picked out this race for him in Brisbane."

Gooree hasn't won a Group One race in Brisbane since the Lee Freedman-trained Bush Padre was successful in the Doomben Cup (2200m) in 2003.

"Bush Padre was our last Group One winner in Queensland when Lee Freedman had him and hopefully Swift Alliance can be our first Group One winner for Gai in Brisbane," Baddock said.

"He's very adaptable and he'll probably go up after trackwork on Thursday.

"The travel won't bother him as he's been to Melbourne where he won a Group Three race last year.

"He can handle wet tracks and has won on a heavy and Nash says he's a push-button ride.

"What you see is what you get from him."