Five-year-old gelding I WISH I WIN is the warm favourite to win this year’s $1.5 million Group 1 Doomben 10,000 over 1200m at Doomben Racecourse, Australia, on Saturday.
The Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman-trained talent will be making his second start of 2023 and will be chasing his first victory in three starts since claiming the G1 T J Smith in April last year. He finished an eye-catching third in the same race early last month when resuming from a six-month break.
One of Australia’s premier sprinters, I WISH I WIN, is fitter after his first-up third and is suited by the small field of nine runners. The gelding excels over the 1200m trip, with a record of three wins and five placings from eight attempts. With clear air in the straight, he’ll prove hard to hold out under champion jockey James McDonald.
The Empire is striking back
Quality six-year-old WESTERN EMPIRE chases back-to-back wins in the $200,000 Group 3 Belmont Sprint over 1400m at Belmont racecourse, Australia, on Saturday.
In 2021, WESTERN EMPIRE was the star three-year-old of Perth racing, claiming four straight feature races, including the Group 2 WA Derby (2400m). Seven months later, he was being spoken about as the next superstar of WA racing after demolishing his rivals by four lengths in the Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m). However, his form tapered off during two campaigns for trainers Danny O’Brien and John Leek Jr. in Melbourne, Victoria, where he fared no better than fifth in seven starts.
His former trainers, Grant & Alana Williams, purchased him for $150,000 in the Inglis Digital Sale last October, and his fortunes have since improved. WESTERN EMPIRE resumed with a slashing first-up third in The Joey in April before proving that promising return was no fluke with a facile second-up win in the G3 Northam Stakes over 1300m earlier this month.
Gringotts can back the hat-trick
The $160,000 Listed Sky Racing Members’ Handicap over 1600m at Doomben racecourse on Saturday sees thriving four-year-old GRINGOTTS chase a hat-trick of wins.
The Ciaron Maher-trained gelding is a six-time winner from 12 starts and has placed a further five times. Saturday will mark the second time in his career that he could potentially post a winning hat-trick, having successfully achieved the feat last year.
GRINGOTTS is third-up in his current campaign after winning both his first-up and second-up runs over 1400m. Saturday marks his second attempt over the mile, where he will aim to keep his record unblemished at this distance as in-form jockey Jamie Kah takes the ride for the first time.
