A horror barrier has dealt a cruel blow to a plan hatched 12 months ago by trainer Les Gordy to win the Cleveland Bay Handicap with Demon Award in Townsville on Saturday.

Les Gordy, who will be doubled handed in the $100,000 feature with stablemate Captain Bond, is chasing the biggest win of his career in the Cleveland Bay which is regarded by locals as the Stradbroke of the north.

Demon Award - a Jackson Murphy mount - will jump from the outside barrier after drawing gate 21 in the field of 16 which attracted five emergencies, who all drew inside the six-year-old.

Gordy had better luck with Captain Bond who drew barrier seven for jockey Adam Sewell.

Demon Award had just won last year's Cape Cleveland, the consolation race for runners who missed gaining a start in the Cleveland Bay Handicap, when Gordy first plotted his course for this year's 1300-metre sprint.

Gordy had hoped to start Demon Award in last year's Cleveland Bay but the son of Shamus Award missed out because of his low rating.

"After he won the Cape Cleveland, we decided we wanted to have a crack at the Cleveland Bay but he needed to get his rating up," Gordy said.

"We decided to send him to Brisbane to toughen him up and get his rating up and we thought racing against better class horses down there would bring out the best in him."

Gordy dispatched Demon Award to Sunshine Coast trainer Darryl Hansen who managed to win two races with him from nine starts before returning to his Townsville stables.

Demon Award won a race on the poly track at the Sunshine Coast before Hansen brought him up to Rockhampton where he won the Tatt's Sprint.

The Tatt's Sprint winner won a golden ticket into the Rockhampton Newmarket but Demon Award was a shock race morning scratching.

"Darryl is a very good trainer and he has improved him a lot," Gordy said.

"He was favourite for the Rocky Newmarket but he pulled up lame on the morning of the race so we had to scratch him.

"Darryl took him back to the Sunshine Coast and he ran second there but it's always been the plan for him to come back to me for the Cleveland Bay."

Demon Award only arrived back in Gordy's stables last week and a strong showing is still expected in the Cleveland Bay.

"He arrived here last week and he's settled in well and his work was very good on Tuesday morning," Gordy said.

Gordy is hopeful Captain Bond will be competitive after his last start seventh in a 1000-metre Open at Townsville on August 2.

"He's finally injury free and he only got beaten four lengths last time," he said.

"He's got a lot of ability and is a very good horse."

Gordy's best performance in the Cleveland Bay was with his former stable star Bullion Wolf who finished fifth to Deadly Choices in the 2020 edition.