A Queensland Derby start is not on the radar for Purple Sector who will head to spelling paddock following his win in the Group 3 $140,000 National Road Safety Week Rough Habit Plate (2000m) at Doomben today.
Purple Sector wasn’t nominated for the Group 1 $600,000 Channel 7 Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm on June 8 and trainer John Thompson said the colt will be heading straight to the paddock on Monday.
“He will actually go for a spell and he will be in the paddock on Monday,” Thomspon said.
Top Sydney jockey Blake Shinn wrapped up an early Doomben double on Purple Sector ($3) when he let the Pins colt cruise past the odds on favourite Dealmaker ($1.85) half way down the straight.
Purple Sector went on to record a two and a quarter lengths win over A Man To Match ($9.50) who ran into second place ahead of the fading Dealmaker.
Purple Sector was having his first run since finishing third in the Group 3 $160,000 Frank Packer Plate (2000m) at Randwick on the last day of the Sydney Autumn Carnival on April 20 and Thompson said that the three year old had settled into his new surroundings in Queensland in top order.
“It has been a tough preparation for the horse. He has done very well in the last couple of weeks and arrived up here in very good order,” Thompson said.
“On a dry track today without great depth and speed, we were coming in pretty confident.”
“He (Blake Shinn) rode the perfect race.”
Shinn won the previous race, the Listed $125,000 Queensland Day Stakes (1350m), on the Tony Gollan trained Vega One.