The 2015 Doomben 10,000 first acceptances have been released and 22 horses remain in contention for the Group 1 event that will be held at Doomben next Saturday.
Boban has been included in the 2015 Doomben 10,000 first acceptances that were released this afternoon. Photo by: Steve Hart
BTC Cup winner Hot Snitzel was not included in the 2015 Doomben 10,000 nominations, but the BTC Cup is still set to be the key form reference for the race.
Knoydart hit the line strongly to finish second in the BTC Cup and Godolphin have confirmed that he will press on to the Doomben 10,000, while Bring Me The Maid, Fontelina, Our Boy Malachi, Scissor Kick, Srikandi and Temple Of Boom are also set to back-up in the Group 1 sprint.
El Roca returned to the races for the first time in over a year in the BTC Cup and he has been included in the Doomben 10,000 first acceptances, but trainer Trent Busuttin has revealed that he might save the son of Fastnet Rock for the Group 2 QTC Cup (1350m) at the same venue a week later.
Charlie Boy returned to winning form in the Group 3 BRC Sprint (1350m) at Doomben last Saturday and he is set to receive another chance at the highest level of racing in the Doomben 10,000.
Rock Sturdy finished a close second behind Charlie Boy in the BRC Sprint and he could receive the opportunity to turn-the-tables on his rival, while third placegetter Nite Rocker is also a chance to contest the Group 1 event.
Chris Waller has included both Boban and Flamingo Star in the 2015 Doomben 10,000 first acceptances and the talented duo are arguably the two most interesting runners in the race.
Boban has not been seen at the races since he finished 14th behind Contributer in the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) at Warwick Farm on February 28, but he showed that he was ready for a return to racing when he scored a smart trial victory at Warwick Farm earlier in the week.
Flamingo Star is an exciting imported galloper that beat 2014 Melbourne Cup winner Protectionist during his racing career in Germany and he could make his racing debut in the Doomben 10,000.
The Areion entire was set to make his Australian racing debut in the Group 3 Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m) before the race was abandoned and he was not included in the final acceptances for the Scone Cup that will be held on Friday.
The most surprising omission from the Doomben 10,000 first acceptances was Sacred Star, but it was an oversight from trainer Tony Pike and connections will now pay the late entry fee of $22,500.
Srikandi is currently available at 2015 Doomben 10,000 odds of $6.50 with Ladbrokes and is a narrow favourite from Our Boy Malachi ($7.50), Generalife ($8.50), Knoydart ($9), Bring Me The Maid ($10), Charlie Boy ($13) and Scissor Kick ($13).
