Star sprinter Buffering has overcome the stone bruise injury that saw him withdrawn from the BTC Cup and has been cleared to start in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1350m) this weekend.
Buffering has been cleared to run in the Doomben 10,000 - photo © Taron Clarke
The Queensland gelding was on track to record his first Group 1 victory in the BTC Cup before his chances were cruelly taken away when he suffered the injury during routine trackwork on the day before the race.
Under the watchful eye of trainer Robert Heathcote, the Mossman four-year-old ran well during a solid hit-out yesterday morning and pulled up without any concerns following the workout.
Heathcote said he was pleased with his stable star’s condition and is confident he is a good chance to take top honours this weekend especially with rain forecasted for later this week.
“He loves the wet,” he said.
The talented gelding has three wins from five starts in wet conditions including his last race where he finished seven-lengths in front of Scenic Blast on a heavy Eagle Farm track.
Despite winning nine times from 24 starts and collecting more than $1.3 million in prize money, Buffering is yet to score victory at the elite level.
He has experienced bad luck by rising at a time when star sprinters Black Caviar and Hay List have been at their peak and has regularly placed behind the pair.
The Brisbane-based gelding’s 2012 campaign to date is reflective of his career, running third behind the pair in the Lightning Stakes before losing by a head to Hay List in the Newmarket Handicap and finishing third to Foxwedge in the William Reid Stakes.
It will be no easy task to break his elite level duck this weekend when he lines up against a classy field of horses including talented filly Sea Siren.
The BTC Cup winner gets a chance to add a second Group 1 victory to her already impressive resume of four wins from six career outings.
Also included in nominations for the $650,000 feature are Tony Gollan-trained pair Temple Of Boom and Spirit Of Boom, boom gelding Pampelonne and Buffering’s Oakleigh Plate winning stable mate Woorim.
