Things are starting to heat up in Queensland, and a number of nice horses are resuming in preparation for winter riches. The team at The Follow Files have found three horses from Doomben’s meeting that we can follow with a bit of confidence over the Brisbane Winter Carnival.
Doomben | Track: Soft 7 (down to Heavy 8 after R2) | Rail: +5.5m Entire Course
Race 1: Class 3 Plate (1640m) | Time: 1:40.61
- Horse to follow: BALMAURICE (4th)
We have always had a bit of time for BALMAURICE, so it was nice to see him put in a much improved run on Saturday at Doomben. The three-year-old did only contest a Class 3 Plate, but his run was full of merit given the circumstances. After jumping only fairly from the low draw, the gelding ended up midfield on the fence chasing a very slow tempo, so the leaders were able to sit and sprint at the top of the straight, while the wet track was not to his liking one bit. The son of Maurice still worked home nicely, going down by 2.5 lengths.
When to bet: Whether or not this guy is a Queensland Derby prospect remains to be seen – he probably isn’t quite good enough – but he can certainly win a race along the way once he gets to 2000m on a dry track, preferably Eagle Farm. Keep an eye on him towards the end of May.
Race 4: Listed Princess Stakes (1640m) | Time: 1:40.53
- Horse to follow: SAVAGAL (4th)
While Balmaurice may not get to a Derby, Chris Waller’s filly SAVAGAL looks very likely to get to a Queensland Oaks. The daughter of Savabeel got a mile back in the Princess Stakes on Saturday and made up significant headway on her rivals to run fourth. We saw a very similar run to what she produced on Saturday in her debut run back in December, and she springboarded out of that to win a maiden at her next start, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see her improve drastically again.
When to bet: The Queensland Oaks will be this galloper’s main target this winter, but there is no doubt she can win a race like The Bracelet or The Roses along the way. Follow as she steps out in trip.
Race 5: Benchmark 90 (1110m) | Time: 1:05.38
- Horse to follow: MASS DESTRUCTION (5th)
MASS DESTRUCTION drifted in the market like he had lost a leg ($4.50 out to $10), and while he ran more like a $10 shot, we don’t think we will get that price again anytime soon. The Tony Gollan-trained galloper had the track pattern against him on Saturday and the conditions were not to his liking, so to see him level out and really hit the line late from out wide in his first-up run was very pleasing. Not to mention he had to jump from Nudgee Road…
When to bet: Gollan places his horses quite well, so look for Mass Destruction in a high benchmark race or a Class 6 over the coming weeks. He is most likely going to be set for a race like the Eye Liner Stakes, so he will be knocking on the door next time he steps out.
