Group 1 debutant Care To Think has some supporters in the betting for the Group 1 $700,000 2018 Doomben 10,000 (1200m) at Doomben on Saturday.
Care To Think, above, has drawn a wide barrier in the 2018 Doomben 10,000 at Doomben. Photo by Steve Hart.
Despite drawing a wide barrier in the fourteen horse field, Care To Think has firmed in from $17 to $14 with Ladbrokes.com.au on Thursday afternoon.
Multiple Group 1 winner and last year’s Doomben 10000 winner Redzel is the firm $2.30 favourite to claim back to back wins in the first of the 2018 Brisbane Winter Carnival Group 1 sprints.
Care To Think hasn’t missed a place from his last eight starts since May last year and has worked his way up through the classes with five wins in the last twelve months.
Among those five wins was a welcome victory in the $1m Magic Millions Cup (1400m) at the Gold Coast in January before running second to Crack Me Up in the Group 3 $150,000 Liverpool City Cup (1300m) at Randwick on March 3.
Care To Think has jumped from double figure barriers from four of his last five starts and trainer Matt Dunn wasn’t surprised when the number twelve marble arrived for Care To Think for the Doomben 10,000.
Dunn said that the task ahead from the wide gate looks daunting against some pretty handy Group 1 performers but he is hoping that all his bad luck is used up and Care To Think can draw a decent barrier in the Group 1 $1.5m Stradbroke Handicap (1350m) at Doomben on June 9.
“He probably couldn’t win from that gate, unless they went really quick and the field split up and he was able to slot away,” Dunn told The Courier-Mail.
“There’s seven genuine Group 1 horses in it. This would have to be considered a stronger 10,000 than some of the recent ones.”
“Maybe I did something wrong because I seem to be coming up with bad barriers everywhere at the moment.”
“As long as he draws a decent gate in the Stradbroke I will be happy.”
Regular rider Jeff Lloyd takes the mount again on Care To Think who has won a Murwillumbah barrier trial since running in the Liverpool City Cup.
The Peter and Paul Snowden trained Redzel has drawn perfectly at barrier six with his usual rider Kerrin McEvoy in the saddle again.
The Snowdens have maintained their successful training program with Redzel by spacing his runs and it will be five weeks since the five year old has been to races following his second to Trapeze Artist in the Group 1 $2.5m Darley T J Smith Stakes (1200m) on day one of The Championships at Randwick on April 7.
See below for the latest Doomben 10,000 2018 betting odds courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.
