The First Lady of the Turf Gai Waterhouse has labelled Pornichet a genuine weight for age horse as the French import prepares for Saturday’s Group 1 $650,000 The Bundaberg Rum Doomben Cup (2000m) at Doomben.
Gai Waterhouse has labelled Doomben Cup favourite a genuine weight for age performer. Photo by Daniel Costello.
Waterhouse took Pornichet to Toowoomba last Saturday for his Doomben Cup warm up and he didn’t let the Tulloch Lodge trainer down with an emphatic win in the $100,000 XXXX Gold Toowoomba Cup (2150m).
The leading Randwick trainer was forced to take the four year old stallion to the Garden City after he was declared third emergency and failed to gain a start in the Group 2 $358,000 Sky Thoroughbred Central A.D. Hollindale Stakes (1800m) at the Gold Coast on April 25.
The seven day back up is no concern according to Waterhouse who said on her blog on her website that Pornichet will develop into a genuine weight for age performer.
“I will most likely back the entire up in the Doomben Cup on Saturday where he will be exceptionally hard to beat. Make no mistake… Pornichet is a WFA horse in the making and the way he puts himself into a race and hits the line is indicative of a very good racehorse,” Waterhouse wrote.
The final field for the weight for age Doomben Cup will be released on Wednesday and Pornichet is guaranteed of gaining a start in the final sixteen horse field, being rated fifteenth in the order of entry.
Waterhouse confirmed that Pornichet is at the top of his game and will be very hard to beat in any more races he contests during the Brisbane Winter Carnival and into the Spring later in the year.
“Pornichet is flying, he is thriving in QLD and he will be very hard to beat in his Group One assignments in the coming weeks,” Waterhouse wrote.
“He belongs in your black book on page one, for not just the next few weeks, but for the coming spring also.”
Waterhouse said that Pornichet has the confirmation of a typical high quality European middle distance horse with the bone and muscle tone that is required to compete at the highest level in Australia over 2000m.
“The entire is a true demonstration of a quality European middle distance horse. He has the bone and muscle tone that I long for in a 2000m horse and he has the turn of speed that a horse requires when it races in Australia,” Waterhouse wrote.
The bookmakers at Ladbrokes.com.au agree with Waterhouse and have installed Pornichet the early $4.60 favourite for the Doomben Cup this weekend.
Hollindale Stakes winner Leebaz is next in the betting at $5 ahead of I’m Imposing at $6, Silent Achiever at $9 and Foreteller at $10.
Doomben Cup market order at Ladbrokes.com.au: $4.60 Pornichet, $5 Leebaz, $6 I’m Imposing, $9 Silent Achiever, $10 Foreteller, $12 Gypsy Diamond, $13 Moriarty, $15 Weary, $16 Hawkspur, $18 Epingle, Green Moon, $21 Hopfgarten, Precedence, $51 Banca Mo, Malice, Escado, $81 Addictive Habit, $201 Ongoing Venture, Kourkam.
