Barrier History Spells Trouble for Your Song

On Wednesday morning, it appeared all Your Song had to do in Saturday’s Doomben 10,000 was show up and he would gallop away with another Queensland Group 1 win.

Your Song has drawn barrier 15 for the BTC Cup. Photo by: Daniel Costello.

Then came the barrier draw.

The Sydney colt received the outside barrier in the 15-horse field and is now not only fighting an awkward starting position, he is fighting history.

In the past 30 editions of the Doomben 10,000, only Chief De Beers in 1998 has been able to salute from the outside alley.

Despite copping the “visitor’s draw,” Your Song is still a $3 favourite to win the second leg of Queensland’s Group 1 sprint treble.

In the Anthony Cummings-trained sprinter’s favour is the fact second favourite Buffering’s bad lack with the barriers has continued, receiving position 12.

One man who is not concerned by the tricky barrier position is jockey Hugh Bowman, who assumes the ride in the absence of the suspended Peter Robl. Bowman saw first hand the electric turn of foot Your Song can produce when aboard runner-up Rain Affair in the BTC Cup.

The top Sydney hoop told Brisbane’s The Courier Mail the barrier won’t matter if he can repeat his first-up performance this weekend.

“If he goes like he did last time it won’t matter…I was really travelling [on Rain Affair] and I had just quickened up, yet Your Song just sailed past me and it took me totally by surprise,” Bowman said.

While barrier 15 is certainly an obstacle, it may not be the only hurdle Your Song has to overcome.

Nobody can deny the quality of the five-length walloping he dished out in the BTC Cup but he did relish the heavy conditions.

There is no evidence to suggest he is a wet-track bully, the second best run of his career was a second to Pierro on a Good 3, but it would be fair to say his rivals didn’t handle the sloppy Eagle Farm surface.

There were some showers in Brisbane on Wednesday but the forecast is mostly fine heading into the weekend.

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