Trainer Simon Zahra knows Don’t Hope Do faces a tough test when he returns to Stakes company at Moonee Valley this weekend.
The five-year-old steps into the Listed Carlyon Stakes (1000m) on Saturday, his first black type appearance since finishing sixth in the Group 3 Blue Sapphire Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield back in November 2023.
That outing followed his third placing behind Archo Nacho and Maharba in the Group 3 Red Anchor Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on Cox Plate Day, which came just two weeks after his debut maiden win at Bendigo.
Since then, the gelding’s career has been interrupted by setbacks, but Zahra maintains confidence in his ability, even if Saturday’s race presents challenges.
“He hasn’t drawn the best and probably needed to draw a bit more favourably to be really competitive, but he’s going well,” Zahra said.
“He wasn’t screwed down the other day and he had 59-½ kilos, and we thought he would improve off it with the run.
“I’ve always had a good opinion of him, but there’s not a lot of options around for him.
“There’s a (benchmark) 78 at Sandown next week and a Group 3 the following week (at Caulfield) while Sydney is under water.
“Options for these sorts of horses in that middle range are limited, so we’ll see what happens.”
Don’t Hope Do has only raced 10 times, with his progress slowed by injury and illness following his promising early career.
“He had a growth on the back of his knee,” Zahra explained. “They had to chip it off and then suck it out. It was like a shark tooth pinching into him.
“We got him going again, then he got crook, and then there were no races for him after he won at Ballarat, so we gave him a good break.
“He’s mature now and there is a nice race in him somewhere over the spring, but it’s just finding the right race for him.
“If you’ve got a rating like his at this time of year, they’re not easy to place.”
Punters interested in Don’t Hope Do’s chances in the Carlyon Stakes can explore the latest odds at Australia’s top betting sites.