Don’t Doubt Marley is currently available at 2015 Thousand Guineas Prelude odds of $15, but trainer Robbie Griffiths is bullish about the chances of the promising filly in the Group 2 event at Caulfield on Saturday.
Damian Lane has been booked to ride Don’t Doubt Marley in the 2015 Thousand Guineas Prelude at Caulfield on Saturday. Photo by: Adrienne Bicknell
Don’t Doubt Marley started her racing career with wins at Geelong and Sale and she hit the line strongly when fourth in the Group 3 Quezette Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on August 15 and fifth in the Listed Atlantic Jewel Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on September 5.
Griffiths admits that there is plenty of quality in the 2015 Thousand Guineas Prelude field, but the Cranbourne-based trainer believes that Don’t Doubt Marley has trained on strongly and can be more than competitive this weekend.
“We were delighted with both her runs,” Griffiths told Racing Ahead.
“It is a crackerjack race on Saturday, but it is a prelude to the Group 1 and if she can come on with those two runs that we have seen thus far then she is going to weigh into contention in the Group 1 in a couple of weeks.
“She worked beautifully on Tuesday morning and we are very happy with her.
“We are just hoping that she can take another step.
“Most of the key chances in the Group 1 in two weeks are going to come out of this race and if she can run well on Saturday we would want to go that way.
“I am as confident as you can be, Stay With Me was outstanding at the Valley, Jameka was great, Pasadena Girl is a Group 1 winner already and Alaskan Rose looks highly promising.
“It is a high quality race, but it is her time to stand up and be counted.”
Don’t Doubt Marley was settled right on the speed when she started her racing career with two race wins, but she was settled in the second half of the field in both the Quezette Stakes and the Atlantic Jewel Stakes.
Griffiths does not expect jockey Damian Lane to press forward on Don’t Doubt Marley in the early stages of the Thousand Guineas Prelude, but he admits that the daughter of Not A Single Doubt can settle slightly closer to the speed this weekend.
“We have always thought that she would be better ridden relaxed, but we wanted to put her in a key spot in the lesser events, which we did when she won her first two runs,” Griffiths said.
“You would think that there will be a slightly different tempo going up to 1400 and from the good barrier she could be in a slightly better position than what she has done.”
Don’t Doubt Marley is currently available at 2015 Thousand Guineas Prelude odds of $15 with Ladbrokes, while Stay With Me ($3.50) is a narrow favourite from Pasadena Girl ($4.80), Miss Gunpowder ($5.50), Alaskan Rose ($7.50), Jameka ($11), Super Cash ($111) and Sagaronne ($14).
