Trainer Wayne Hawkes believes Blue Diamond victor Devil Night will prove tough to overcome in Saturday’s Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1200m).
The Extreme Choice colt exploded into prominence, marking the second horse after Redoute’s Choice to claim the Blue Diamond on just their second outing, though he has failed to secure a victory in the subsequent seven starts.
Hawkes, who prepares the horse alongside father John and brother Michael, labels Devil Night a relaxed, professional colt. The runner has shown solid performances this preparation, placing third at $81 odds in the William Reid Stakes to Jigsaw prior to challenging top filly Tempted in the Arrowfield Sprint on his latest appearance.
“He’s going super,” Hawkes said.
“His form looks pretty good. We were tossing between coming to The Goodwood or going to Queensland for the 10,000, because he was already in Sydney we didn’t want to bring him all the way to Adelaide.
When he ran third in the William Reid everyone went ‘oh, he’s going well’ and he was always going well, he’s just never had much luck and that form has stood up very well.
Then running second to Tempted and everyone’s going, gee this is fair form.”
Currently quoted at $8 for the Doomben 10,000 with $2.80 market leader Jimmysstar, capturing an open-age Group One triumph would hold huge worth for the Yulong-owned colt, prompting the team to focus on this event well in advance.
“He’s just been poking along in Sydney, he’s the best colt. He’s got one of the best attitudes in a colt I’ve ever had,” Hawkes said
“We have set him for this race, we’ve always had this race in the back of our minds so it’s not an afterthought.
Even if some of the races aren’t as strong as others, afterthoughts, most times you don’t win.”
Plans for Lady Of Camelot to head to Royal Ascot have been abandoned following an incident where the Golden Slipper winner suffered a stingray bite at the beach on Tuesday, sidelining her for Saturday and casting doubt on her ongoing career.
This situation means second pick Napoleonic requires just one more withdrawal to secure a spot in the 16-horse lineup, where Devil Night has secured gate eight with Ben Melham enlisted to steer.
Explore the Australian betting sites for top racing odds ahead of the Doomben 10,000.