A classy field of sprinters will be on show in Brisbane this weekend as the Doomben 10,000 (Race 7) takes centre stage on Saturday.
BONUS: Get a $300 UniBet BONUS via this link!
Originally destined for the scrapheap as part of a revamp of the Brisbane winter carnival, the race ultimately survived but has had some significant changes to its format.
Run two weeks earlier in the calendar, the most notable adjustment is the drop in distance back to 1200m (from 1350m).
Favourite Russian Revolution comes off an abbreviated yet successful campaign in Sydney where he notched a first Group 1 win in The Galaxy.
With the Doomben surface currently rated a Heavy 8 and more rain predicted on raceday, that win showcased the horse’s ability to handle difficult conditions, which may prove crucial.
Without a ride in the race, leading jockey Hugh Bowman sounded an ominous warning by declaring the colt as ‘the one to be on’ and a favourable draw in five has seen his odds slashed even further.
Punters gave us a bath on the Gold Coast last week with the likes of Religify and It’s Somewhat handing us some sizeable liabilities on a day to forget in at Unibet headquarters.
We’ll be hopeful rather than expectant when it comes to the chances of this horse but we’re here to take bets so punters are encouraged to give us another hit.
Second pick Music Magnate comes off a solid first-up win in the Victory Stakes under Jeff Lloyd as he looks to go back-to-back in this race.
With Takedown suffering from excessive throat mucus, the depth of the field there was a tad questionable and he may need to find another gear here.
Instead, the biggest threat to Russian Revolution might be his stablemate, Redzel, another horse with a proven track record on rain-affected surfaces.
Edged out narrowly in The Galaxy, we really liked the look of his win in the Hall Mark Stakes and word out of the Snowden camp this week is there isn’t a lot between their pair.
Twelve months on, Matthew Dale’s Fell Swoop has followed an identical path to Brisbane as he looks to breakthrough for an overdue major.
His run in the TJ Smith was highly commendable but connections were handed a horror draw of 14 to deal with.
We’re just not entirely sure about this fella at the highest level and our Brisbane traders are keen to oppose him on the weekend.
Of the others, Kiwi gelding Start Wondering is back for another crack in Australia after claiming both the Railway Stakes and NRM Sprint on home soil to earn the mantle of New Zealand’s best sprinter.
With Johnathan Parkes retaining the ride, we’re a little unsure of how highly to rate the sprinting form out of that country of late and will be interested to see if there’s any market support for him.
In Her Time, who dominated a useful field with an all-the-way win in the Millie Fox Stakes two runs back, has also met with some early specking and might offer the best value for each-way players.
OFFER: Get over $5,000 in BONUS Free Bets!
TIPS:
- Russian Revolution
- Music Magnate
- Start Wondering
- Redzel
