Beaten BTC Cup favourite Buffering is still in contention for the Group 1 $650,000 James Boag’s Premium Doomben 10,000 (1350m) at Doomben on May 24 and remains at the top of most betting markets.
Beaten BTC Cup favourite Buffering heads Doomben 10,000 betting. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
Eagle Farm trainer Robert Heathcote has two weeks to get Buffering back into top shape after the triple Group 1 winner laboured into third spot as the $1.75 favourite behind outsider Famous Seamus and Spirit Of Boom in last Saturday’s Group 1 $400,000 Bundaberg Distilling Co. BTC Cup (1200m) at Doomben.
Even though regular rider Damian Browne said that Buffering felt flat, the six year old is still marked as the $3.80 favourite for the Doomben 10,000 with Ladbrokes.com.au.
“Buffering didn’t begin as well as I expected and he took some time under heavy riding to improve into a forward position with Tiger Tees,” Browne told AAP.
“Usually even if he is slow to begin, Buffering is quick to muster early speed. He travelled comfortably in the middle stages and he did respond to my riding rounding the home turn.
“However, his run to the line was only OK and he raced like a flat horse.”
While Heathcote is blaming the hard run on a heavy track in the Group 1 $2.5m Darley T J Smith Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on April 12 when third to Lankan Rupee for his lacklustre performance in the weight for age contest on the weekend.
“I said before the race that was my greatest worry,” Heathcote said.
“If you have a look a lot of good horses who ran in the TJ Smith such as Rebel Dane, Famous Seamus, Snitzerland and Shamexpress, all got beaten at their next starts.”
BTC Cup winner Famous Seamus also raced in the T J Smith Stakes and was well beaten on the heavy track when eleventh before finishing fifth to Temple Of Boom in the Group 2 $175,000 Greenslopes Private Victory Stakes (1200m) at Eagle Farm on April 26.
Trainer Noel Mayfield-Smith said that Famous Seamus had taken a little time to settle into Brisbane but he was able to have him at his peak last Saturday.
Famous Seamus and Buffering are likely to face a similar field in the Doomben 10,000 including the Tony Gollan trained Spirit Of Boom and Temple Of Boom.
Spirit Of Boom made up plenty of ground in the straight when second to Famous Seamus while Temple Of Boom fought hard to the line to finish fourth.
The Gary Portelli trained Rebel Dane has been freshened up since running second in the T J Smith Stakes and fifth to Hana’s Goal in the Group 1 $400,000 Schweppes All Aged Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on April 26 and is the second favourite for the Doomben 10,000 with Ladbrokes.com.au at $4.
Spirit Of Boom is next in the betting at $5.50 with BTC Cup winner Famous Seamus at $9 and the John O’Shea trained Knoydart at $12.
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