It's still
all systems go for a trip to Sydney for Mackay-trained Doubtfilly despite her
costly defeat in her comeback at Doomben on Saturday.
Doubtfilly,
the heavily backed $1.85 favourite, produced a courageous effort to go down by a
short neck to $31 outsider Grayson Square in the Dulux Project Services
Handicap (1200m).
Palais
Court ($9) was a further 1-3/4 lengths away third.
Trainer
Stuart Kendrick will wait a few days to see how Doubtfilly pulls up but is still
keen to send the daughter of Not A Single Doubt interstate for the G2 Furious Stakes
(1400m) at Randwick on September 8.
Kendrick also
is not ruling out backing up the filly a week later in the $1m G1 Golden Rose
(1400m) before making a call on whether to extend her spring campaign to Melbourne
for the G1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield in October.
Kendrick feared
Doubtfully could be vulnerable in her first start since finishing a brave
fourth to Pierro in the G1 Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill in April.
A $17,500
buy as a yearling, Doubtfilly had been in work 10 weeks ahead of her comeback
but had not barrier trialled.
"I was a bit disappointed she didn't win
but she had to do a fair bit of work early on from her awkward barrier," Kendrick
said.
"I
think she was beaten by a really good horse and we might see more from him
later on.
"She certainly didn't shirk the task,
that's for sure.
"Our
plans won't change so long as she pulls up well enough. She'll go south and
have her next run in the Furious Stakes then I'll decide whether or not to back
her up in the Golden Rose."
Trainer
Brian Wakefield wasn't surprised by Grayson
Square's victory despite meeting a strong field at his first start.
A son of Cox
Plate winner Savabeel, Grayson Square was purchased for $105,000 at last year's
New Zealand Premier sales.
His mother,
Madison Gray won the Listed Breeders Stakes (2000m) at Awapuni in 2004.
"He's
always shown us plenty of ability and he should improve on that run," Wakefield
said.
Racing Queensland webnews August 25
Photo: Trackside Photography
