The Doomben Mile makes up a big day of racing in the Sunshine State on Saturday with nine quality races to look forward to.
Read on for our best bets across the entire card below!
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Race 1 – 11:47AM
Dis Dah Wun is having her third run back after failing to finish off last time out behind Miami Fleiss over the track and distance.
Her first-up run over the same distance for second was full of merit though, and she can take improvement into this contest with Leak Kilner’s apprentice claim put to good use.
Barrier 2 should see her settle somewhere just behind speed and prove tough to beat.
Race 2 – 12:22PM – Benchmark 72 Handicap, (2020m)
Cabochon Lil strips fitter for four runs back and looks ready for the step up to 2000m again based on her recent effort at the Sunshine Coast.
The Sebring mare was unlucky to miss out on the spoils when a nose second to Brilliant Concept, a run that suggests she’ll handle further now after drawing another soft gate.
She’s struggled for luck in her career at Doomben with only one place from eight starts, but this looks within her grasp with some fitness on her side.
Race 3 – 12:58pm – Sky Racing BenchMark 90 Handicap, (2020m)
Difficult to get away from the Kelly Schewida-trained London Banker, who claimed his hat-trick two weeks ago here at Doomben with a narrow win over Silent Agenda.
The six-year-old son of Tavistock drew clear from midfield rounding the turn, and while he had a lot of work to do down the straight, he still managed to extend his streak beyond 2000m to 3-0.
The extra weight is a slight query, but since he beat a few of these last time out, he’s hard to knock.
Race 4 – 1:33pm – 3YO Quality, (1350m)
Stablemates Prince Of Boom and Startantes meet for a second time after the latter got the upper-hand over 1200m two weeks ago with a narrow win right on the line.
Prince Of Boom did a bit wrong in the run finding himself wide without cover, but I think he’s worth forgiving considering the form he showed during the winter carnival.
Robert Heathcoate’s three-year-old won the Group 2 Champagne Classic at Doomben second-up from a spell, so from a soft gate, he should be bouncing back.
Race 5 – 2:08pm – Spring Ladies Raceday 23 October Class 3 Plate, (1615m)
Ashim has cost punters on more than one occasion this prep as the short-priced favourite, but he does rate well in this race getting out to the mile in his fourth run back.
Matthew Smith’s five-year-old has a tendency to do a lot wrong in transit, but he did show his potential last time out at Kembla Grange when he worked home late from a wide position.
Barrier 3 leaves Robbie Fradd with plenty of options, and we know Sydney form always stacks up in Queensland.
Race 6 – 2:48pm – Bundaberg Rum Doomben Mile, (1615m)
Ballistic Boy was outstanding over this distance during the summer, winning both the Mooloolaba Cup and the Doomben Mile by narrow margins.
He’s clearly returned in great order after winning first-up two weeks ago over 1350m thanks to a gutsy ride from Brad Stewart.
Fitter and back out to his preferred distance, there’s plenty still to come.
Race 7 – 3:27pm – Well Groomed Racing 17 September Colts, Geldings & Entries No Metro Win, (1200m)
Big Bad Bruce was outstanding over this track and distance last Wednesday, gapping his rivals by close to a length-and-a-half after settling just behind the speed.
This race doesn’t appear any tougher, and the drop in weight is obviously a huge advantage down to 54kg with Stephanie Thornton steering.
Barrier 3 should see him take a similar run in transit, and with four wins to his name over the distance, I think he’ll be hard to beat.
Race 8 – 4:07pm – R.M. Williams Open, (1110m)
Hard to know if this distance will be a little sharp for Soxagon first-up, but his outstanding record at Doomben mixed with his fresh record makes him worth a ticket.
The six-year-old produced his usual best over the summer with wins in the Listed Lough Neagh Stakes and The Buffering before rounding things out with a narrow defeat to Eleven Eleven in the Magic Millions Cup.
He’s as consistent as they come and should get every chance from barrier 5.
Race 9 – 4:07pm – Mount Franklin Class 6 Plate, (1350m)
Peppi La Few is as frustrating as they come, but the value is hard to ignore after finishing runner-up in all three runs this time in work.
He was scratched late in a mid-week race on Wednesday as a very short-priced favourite, which suggests the stable think he can be competitive in a wide-open affair like this.
The son of Pierro tends to save his best for Doomben, and is also a six-time winner over the distance, so he’s worth one more chance.