The Doomben Cup is Group 1 weight-for-age race over 2000 metres, held at Doomben Racecourse during Brisbane’s Winter Carnival. Total prizemoney is $700,000.
Doomben Cup: Key runners
Professional punter Cameron O’Brien runs the Key Race Insights service for Champion Bets. The below is just some of Cameron’s runner comments for this race. Key Race Insights members receive Cameron’s full report for every Group 1 and $1 million race in Australia. This is for those who want to win on the big races, and includes his historical race profile, speed map, full rated market and recommended bets. And it’s less than $5 per race! Check out Key Race Insights here.
ZAAKI is an ex-European galloper who has taken to our shores like an British tourist takes to a backpackers! Strong second in the JRA Plate two back, then in the G2 Hollindale at the Gold Coast last start he was strong, pulling clear and rating 113. That’s not his top, either, he has 115/116 figures in the UK and he’s fitter now fourth-up. He can improve towards those figures with an excellent map here and an excellent rider in JMac. The one to beat, but a shade of unders at the time of writing.
MUGATOO was in very good form this prep before a disappointing run in the Queen Elizabeth last time out. He won the All Star Mile at the Valley and then ran a close closing foutth in the Doncaster, both of them rating 114. Otherwise he is an ultra-consistent galloper and he maps well again here. He’s had a little freshen since the QE run and can bounce back here.
SIR DRAGONET won the Cox Plate like he was a superstar, but hasn’t quite repeated that since. He did win strongly in the Tancred two back, but that rated 2.5 lengths lower than his Cox Plate win. That was a dry track in the Tancred, while the Cox Plate was on his preferred wet ground. This is going to be a dry track, unless the weather changes drastically. I don’t think he can rate what he did in the Cox Plate (119) on this drier track, but then again he doesn’t need to in order to be a legitimate winning chance here, and he does map very well. Leading chance, obviously.
MELODY BELLE is an overlay for mine. She has been underwhelming in her two runs in Australia this prep, and the market has turned on her here. She is better than those, though. She was excellent the start before, winning at G1 level in NZ at Ellerslie going 116, and she is more than good enough to win here. Taking on trust a bit because of the poor Australian form but worth it, as she’s a high quality mare on her day.
SHARED AMBITION was a bit disappointing on face value in the Hollindale, but he was arguably not suited in the conditions – the winners were winning wider out on the track that day and he was up on the pace and inside. He was very good the start before winning the Neville Sellwood stakes over 2000m at Rosehill, and he can get every possible chance in front here. Gets his chance to peak again.
NETTOYER is very in and out with her form. She goes missing for several runs – just enough time for the market to write her off – then she bounces back all of a sudden and pulls out a big one. On her day she can rate well enough to win, and she was at her strong closing best two back when she did just that (winning), rating 112. She will be a long way back, which is a problem, but it always is for her.
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