Doomben 10,000 hopeful Pampelonne looks certain to pass a veterinary inspection today before being cleared to run in tomorrow’s 1350m Group 1 $650,000 WFA sprint at Doomben.
The Tim Martin trained Pampelonne hit his head in his stable when he arrived at Eagle Farm earlier in the week and required several stitches to close the wound.
“He hit his head on a bolt and got a couple of stitches but he’ll be right,” Martin said.
Martin’s main concern with his promising three year old is if he can back up in a week after scoring a dominant win in the $500,000 Inglis 3yo Guineas (1400m) at Scone last Saturday as well as the float trip north, but he is more than happy with drawing barrier three in the big field.
“Three is my favourite number. It used to be eight when I was a kid but not any more,” Martin said.
“But it’s the first time I’ve backed him up and it is a concern.”
Martin is very keen to start Pampelonne in the Group 1 $1m AAMI Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm on June 9 after his runaway win at Scone but is way down the order of entry at forty-three and not guaranteed a start.
So Martin was forced to run the Rock Of Gibraltar gelding in the Doomben 10,000, with the winner being exempt from the Stradbroke ballot.
And Martin is keen to follow the path of last year’s Stradbroke winner Sincero with wins in the Scone Guineas and the Listed $250,000 De Bortoli Wines Gosford Guineas (1200m) which Pampelonne won on April 25.
Pampelonne is on the second line of betting in the 10,000 with Buffering at $5.50 while he is challenging Mental ($7) for favouritism in the Stradbroke at $8.
While Martin is happy being drawn in close in the 10,000, trainer Wayne Webster had to come to terms with another horror draw for Thankgodyou’rehere.
Webster came up with the visitor’s draw at fifteen after coming up with similar barriers at last year’s Winter Carnival.
Thankgodyou’rehere jumped from gate thirteen when fourth in last year’s Listed $175,000 Carlton Draught Prime Minister’s Cup (1300m) at the Gold Coast and came out of gate fifteen when third to Woorim in the Group 3 $125,000 Darley BRC Sprint (1350m) at Doomben.
“It makes it tough, it’s disappointing, but there’s nothing we can do,” Webster said.
“You go back to the Prime Minister’s Cup last year he drew fourteen or fifteen and the BRC Sprint he was in fifteen or sixteen. It’s getting that common now I can’t even pick the races that he drew wide in, there are so many of them.”
“It’s not the end of the world. You can draw three, four, five or six and have no luck, it just would have been easier for him with a better barrier.”
Webster changed course this year and decided to bypass the Gold Coast and just concentrate on the Doomben 10,000 and the Stradbroke.
“We decided to dodge the Prime Minister’s Cup this year. We believed it would be better to give the horse his shot at the two Group 1s, the Doomben 10,000 and the Stradbroke instead of going to the three races,” Webster said.
Webster believes that his six year old is cherry ripe and is expecting a bold showing at Doomben tomorrow.
