Trainer Chris Waller has confirmed that imported German galloper Flamingo Star will make his Australian racing debut in the 2015 Doomben 10,000 in Brisbane on Saturday.
Chris Waller believes that Flamingo Star could be an Epsom Handicap horse in the 2015 Spring Racing Carnival. Photo by: Daniel Costello
Flamingo Star has been given three official barrier trials since arriving in Australia at the end of last year and he showed that he was ready for a return to racing when he finished third behind Rose Of Choice and Pajaro in a barrier trial over 1050 metres at Royal Randwick on May 8, but his Australian racing debut has been delayed following the abandonment of the Group 3 Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m) and his withdrawal from the Listed Scone Cup (1600m) last weekend.
The Areion entire took out both the Group 3 Grosser Preis der Landeshauptstadt Dusseldorf (1710m) in Dusseldorf on October 5 and the Group 3 Prix Perth (1600m) in his past two starts in Germany before being purchased by a group of Australian-based connections and Waller told AAP that he believes the five-year-old can perform well in the 2015 Doomben 10,000 before contesting the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) during the 2015 Spring Racing Carnival.
“Flamingo Star comes here with pretty good form from his last two starts,” Waller said.
“We were going to start him off in the Scone Cup but he had too much weight.
“I think he is more of a miler and the Epsom will be an aim in the spring.”
Flamingo Star made his racing debut in 2012 and he was tested as a stayer as a three-year-old following his victory in the Group 3 Gp Der Wohnstatte Krefeld Wohnungs-Aktiengesellschaft – Herzog Von Ratibor-Rennen (1710m) at the end of 2012 and he finished second behind the talented Lucky Speed in the 2013 Group 3 Bavarian Classic (2011m), but he failed to fire in the Group 1 German Derby (2413m).
He took a while to recover from his German Derby flop, but he returned to winning form in Dusseldorf in August of last year before he took out two races at Group level ahead of his move to Australia.
Flamingo Star is currently available at 2015 Doomben 10,000 odds of $26, while Srikandi ($5.50) and Our Boy Malachi ($5.50) are locked in a battle for favouritism from Bring Me The Maid ($9), Generalife ($9), Knoydart ($9) and Scissor Kick ($11).
Waller is also set to have Boban in the Doomben 10,000 field and he is chasing his first win in the race after previously missing the placings in the race with Rangirangdoo, Danleigh, Shellscrape and Double Dare.
