Clayton Douglas ticked off the first goal he set for promising filly Blue Hotel and is now eager to see where she ranks among the nation’s three-year-olds. The daughter of Volcada resumes in the Group 3 Quezette Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on Saturday, following a winning debut in Adelaide.

Her initial target was the Listed Dequetteville Stakes (1000m) at Morphettville Parks, a race her dam claimed in 2007, and Douglas was thrilled when history repeated. “Her mother won the same race over in Adelaide, so that was a little plan we set before she had raced, and luckily it came off,” Douglas said. “She came to hand quickly last prep. She had a jump-out at Balnarring, another one at Woolamai and then she was off to the races. I think she’s going to mature again after her spring campaign, but it’s good to have a filly of this quality anyway.”

Douglas is using Saturday’s contest to measure Blue Hotel against her peers, having opted for a longer break after a Balnarring jump-out in April instead of pressing on to Adelaide’s autumn carnival. “We were contemplating running her on Goodwood Day in the two-year-old race (Group 3 David Coles Stakes), but it would have been five or six weeks between runs. She had a jump-out in between and after that we elected to give her a month off and get her ready for the early spring. She showed us that she is up to these sort of fillies, so we’ll see how she measures up.”

While mindful of the challenge posed by rivals like Scenic Point and Signature Scent, Douglas believes Blue Hotel can hold her own. “Scenic Point looks like she’s a pretty handy filly and Ciaron Maher’s filly (Signature Scent) with Willo on, it’s quite a nice horse and both of those have drawn quite well. There’s no hiding this time of year. You have to take them on, but she did run second to Esha in a trial and she’s run second to Vinrock, so her trial form reads pretty well for Saturday. She’s a filly that has had only the one start and is still learning a little bit, but I’m happy with how she is going into Saturday.”

Punters eager to follow Blue Hotel in the Quezette Stakes can find competitive odds and bonuses at the leading Australian betting sites.