Connections of Sacred Star have paid the late entry fee of $22,500 to get the horse into the 2015 Doomben 10,000 field and he will contest the Group 1 event in Brisbane this weekend.

Sacred Star will have the chance to record maiden win at Group 1 level in Australia when he contests the 2015 Doomben 10,000 this weekend. Photo by: Daniel Costello

Sacred Star was set to return to the races in the Group 1 BTC Cup (1200m) at Doomben on May 9, but he was scratched from the race just an hour before the race after being found with stone bruise and his campaign went from bad to worse when trainer Tony Pike forgot to include the Flying Spur gelding in the first acceptances for the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1350m).

Pike confirmed yesterday that Sacred Star had responded well to treatment for the minor issue that he suffered ahead of the BTC Cup and he told Sky Racing HQ that the five-year-old would go into the race at 100 percent.

“I couldn’t be happier with the way that he has responded to treatment and he appears 100 percent sound now,” Pike said yesterday.

“He galloped this morning at Doomben and he worked well, but the track was probably better than what he likes.

“I am pretty happy with the way that he has pulled up and we will make a final decision tomorrow morning after he has a trot and canter and if we are 100 percent happy we will pay the late entry fee.

“As long as nothing goes wrong in the last 24 hours, we will be paying the late entry fee for Saturday.”

Sacred Star has not been seen at the races since he took out the Group 1 NRM Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa on February 7 and he will be going into the Doomben 10,000 without a lead-up run at 1200 metres after missing the BTC Cup.

Pike said that he would obviously have preferred to run Sacred Star in the BTC Cup ahead of the Doomben 10,000 and he believes that the five-year-old will take improvement out of the run, but he remains confident that the two-time Group 1 winner can sprint well fresh.

“It is probably never ideal, but he is a horse that has always gone well fresh,” Pike said.

“He had a good solid hit-out this morning and pulled up relatively clean-winded, so I still think that he will perform well on Saturday and the run should improve him a touch for the Stradbroke in two weeks.”

Hong Kong-based hoop Zac Purton will return to Brisbane to partner Sacred Star in the Doomben 10,000 on Saturday.