WINNO'S WINNERS: MAY 24, DOOMBEN CUP DAY
By Darren Winningham | Friday, May 23, 2025
DOOMBEN this week – Doomben Cup Day. The track is rated ‘Soft’ The rail is out 2 metres for the entire course. There were some massive upsets last weekend on the program – horses racing close to the speed and that could handle a wet track thrived – whilst others just went home covered in mud and tired.
NB: As these selections were made prior to race-day, please check for any changes to track conditions and for any scratchings on the day.
Race 1
A BM85 race over 1110 metres to start us off.
Kelly Schweida trains Metalart (1) who has a 2-kilogram claim for apprentice Cody Collis. Ideally drawn and loves the Doomben track.
Mark Currie has two genuine chances in Holy Rocket (6) with Noel Callow aboard and the stable mate Acres Away (11) with the blinkers going on for this race with Angela Jones riding.
Tony Gollan and Blake Shinn combines with Brereton (4) – has had a freshen up – could sprint well.
Selections:
1 – Metalart
4 – Brereton
6 – Holy Rocket
9 – Gumdrops
Rough chance – (11) Acres Away
Race 2
A BM85 race over 1350 metres. First leg of the early Quaddie.
The race is way too hard – if you like one stay with your thoughts.
Tavs (13), trained by Mark Currie, is racing in career best form with two consecutive wins. He has drawn terribly here in barrier 22 before final acceptances – will need some luck.
Munce Racing stables are flying; they are represented here Heroic Miss (16) with the stable apprentice aboard – Tahlia Fenlon who will claim 2 kilograms – nicely drawn in barrier 5. Was defeated by the impressive Gollan runner Floozie last time – the form stacks up. This runner is $18 – good value.
The other one I like is the Angela Plumb trained Lady Shotgun (18) with Adin Thompson aboard. She loves wet tracks – if she can jump well and race a little handier than she has in her past two starts I give her a big chance here at $26.
Stuart Kendrick trains Redford (19) with Kyle Wilson-Taylor (KWT) riding. This runner is second up – will be better placed here after racing on a bog track last time out at the Gold Coast.
Selections:
16 – Heroic Miss
18 – Lady Shotgun
13 – Tavs
19 – Redford
Rough chance – (5) The Inflictor & (2) I Am Artie
Race 3 BILL CARTER STAKES
A Listed race for two-year-old runners race over 1350 metres.
Another open race here. Paul Shailer trains Ha’Penny Hatch (2) with Damien Thornton aboard. She has had a 4 week freshen up and will run the distance right out.
Sunrays (1) will be ridden by Tommy Berry. The filly is trained by Kelly Schweida and was beaten panels by the impressive Beadman last time out – she will be better for that run and could be super hard to beat here.
The lethal Chris Waller and James McDonald team unite here with Chatterley (11) for Star Thoroughbreds Syndications. She is second up and has a trial last week to get her ready for this assignment.
Selections:
2 – Ha’Penny Hatch
1 – Sunrays
11 – Chatterley
3 – Dontdoubtthelady
Rough chance – (10) Smexy
Race 4 CHIEF DE BEERS
A Listed Open Class race over 1110 metres.
Manhood (10) was scratched from an earlier event. Down in the weights and drawn well, watch him go forward this weekend with no weight on his back and one of the best front riding jockeys in the country aboard Rachel King. He is trained by Annabel & Rob Archibald. He has a solid record at Doomben.
King Kapa (3) is trained by Gollan Racing – Cejay Graham will ride. I think he is a better proposition over these shorter distances rather than 1200 metres. Look for him to be competitive.
James Cummings and James McDonald combine with Spacewalk (2) who comes off a run at Gosford where worked home well and raced wide. A little luck here could see him post his first victory this preparation.
Selections:
10 – Manhood
3 – King Kapa
2 – Spacewalk
7 – Appin Girl
Rough chance – (1) Cannonball
Race 5 DARBY MUNROE OAM
A three-year-old race over 1110 metres.
She Ours (14), at around $31, is one I like here. Trained by Lawrie Mayfield-Smith and she will have Angela Jones riding. She is only lightly raced and thrives over these short distances and loves a wet track.
Mayfair (1) is trained by Waterhouse and Bott and resumes here with Tim Clark riding. Resumes from a 13-week spell and has been trialling well. Look for a bold effort.
Amelita (3) is another one for the Waller / McDonald combination. She is resuming as well after an eight week freshen up. Has had two trials and comes off Listed and Group races prior to the spell when racing in Victoria – watch to see if there is any money for her.
Zoubaby (11) will be a rough chance.
The local runner Mishani Lily (9), trained by Donna Stanbridge with Emily Lang, loves Doomben with three wins here. She resumes as well – drawn barrier 1 and down in the weights – may just smash the gates and lead and prove hard to run down.
Selections:
14 – She Ours
1 – Mayfair
3 – Amelita
11 – Zoubaby
Rough chances – (9) Mishani Lily & (6) Benzou
Race 6 MAGIC MILLIONS MILE – GROUP 3
First leg of the Quaddie. A Group 3 race over 1600 metres.
Vivy Air (9) is trained by Ciaron Maher and Jason Collett will ride. She has been racing consistently and may have found a race where she can post a win.
Jennilala (4) will be ridden by Craig Newitt - coming off a Group 3 win two starts ago at Flemington. Then she was run down late in a Group 2 race at Morphettville at her last run – solid form for this race.
Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott train the emergency Just Glamorous (18). IF she gets a run here, she will be in the race for a long way. Blake Shinn – master tactician - will ride her. She won at Caulfield a fortnight ago over this distance.
Exotique Miss (8) is a local runner trained by Michael Nolan. She has always been competitive and commands respect in this race. She will be ridden by Rachel King. She won first up and then went to the Gold Coast on a terrible track. She didn’t go a yard in the heavy conditions. She will be better on top of the ground here. Third up over a mile looks ideal.
Tony Gollan’s runner Torabella (13) is third up here on a firm track – Craig Williams will ride – she will be competitive.
Adiella (14) faces the starter for the first time over a mile – if she can run out the distance, she could cause an upset.
Selections:
9 – Vivy Air
4 – Jennilala
18 – Just Glamorous
8 – Exotique Miss
Rough chance – (13) Torabella & (14) Adiella & (6) Thalassophile
Race 7 THE ROSES – GROUP 2
First leg of the Treble. A three-year-old race over 2000 metres at Group 2 level.
Polymnia (10) is my on top selection here to be ridden by Blake Shinn – trained by the O’Shea & Charlton training partnership. She has been in solid form. Her last run in the Group 1 Australasian Oaks at Morphettville was sensational. She settled too far back in the race and then had to be ridden for luck in the straight - got held up, had no clear run at them and still probably should have finished second in the race. She looks ideally placed here, however she will jump from the extreme outside draw which is a massive disadvantage. Hopefully Shinn can find somewhere for her to be placed in the run and present her late to win the race.
Benagil (1) is trained by Glen Thompson and Mark Zahra on board. She won the Group 1 Australasian Oaks last time out with an impressive performance – she is the early market favourite. She has had a trial since the win to keep her ticking over.
Moving Out (2) raced in the Australasian Oaks as well at her last start. She went to the rear of the field and then made a sustained run late. She had to peak at some point though and she did around the 50-metre mark. It was a solid effort, but she used a lot of energy to attempt to reel in the front runners. She is trained by Chris Waller and Nash Rawiller will ride – look for some more aggressive tactics here to get her closer to the pace.
Verona Rose (5) is trained by Gary Portelli – he seems to bring a nice runner each year to the Carnival – Craig Williams will ride. She has had a six week freshen up since running in the Australian Oaks – Group 1 - at Randwick. A drop back in distance is my only concern – but in saying that she will be finishing off strong.
Churchill Choice (4) will be ridden by Koby Jennings for trainer Nathan Doyle. She was storming home late in the Group 2 Queensland Guineas over the mile. The extra distance looks ideal and she will continue to improve with her grand final being the QLD Oaks.
Selections:
10 – Polymnia
1 – Benagil
2 – Movin Out
5 – Verona Rose
Rough chance – (4) Churchills Choice & (16) Full Hao
Race 8 The XXXX DOOMBEN CUP – GROUP 1
The 2025 Group 1 XXXX Doomben Cup – the day’s feature race over 2000 metres.
The local runner Antino (1) probably verses NSW and Victoria. With State of Origin to take place next week the QLDers will be looking for a win in their featured QLD Cup race – but can they do it?
Antino (1) was sensational at the Gold Coast in the Hollindale (Group 2) on a heavy track. He has travelled across Australia – has been to Hong Kong – it would be special to see him win a Group 1 race on his home turf. If he wins you will see a very emotional Tony Gollan after the race – he adores this gelding.
Chris Waller Racing has launched an assault on the race with four of the 13 runners. I think that he holds the key to the race. Lindermann (2) with Nash Rawiller aboard is the runner that I think can spoil the QLD party. Just forget the last start run on the heavy – well bog track at the Gold Coast in the Hollindale. His previous form on top of the ground and on soft surfaces is noteworthy. In his previous two starts he has raced in Group 1 races and finished behind horses like Viva Sistina and Dubai Honour. He looks well placed here and if it gets down to a tight finish you wouldn’t want anyone other than Nash Rawiller to lift them across the line.
The stable mate is Osipenko (9) with Kerrin McEvoy to ride. He is third up here and I just think he will be ready to peak, stepping up from a mile at his last start at Hawkesbury – the track did not assist him on that day.
Eliyass (8) is trained by the Waterhouse & Bott yards with Tim Clark riding. Like many of the other runners in this race he did not handle the Gold Coast track last time out which was worse than a heavy ten. On the flip side when you look at his race record, he has had three starts second up for three wins - can he maintain his undefeated record second up in this race? He gets a better track this week and he would have taken a lot of fitness benefit from that last start.
I suppose the real question in the race is what we do with Pride of Jenni (11) from the Ciaron Maher stables. Maher will tell you that he loves this track and they’ve had some very memorable wins here. Prode Of Jenni is drawn to jump and lead and that's the way she will race, but is she in her previous career best form where she would run them into the ground and give nothing else a chance - I say she is not and I actually think she may not even run a place in the race - this could be my egg on my face moment for this week but I'm happy to put it out there.
Selections:
2 – Lindermann
9 – Osipenko
1 – Antino
8 – Eliyass
Rough chance – (7) Kovalica & (11) Pride Of Jenni
Race 9 HKJC WORLD POOL BRC SPRINT – GROUP 3
A Group 3 race over 1350 metres.
The Hayes boys have two great chances to win the last race - Rise At Dawn (5) and War Machine (11). Take your pick, they both will be competitive –
Rise At Dawn (5) will have Mark Zahra aboard. What a superb effort last time out in the Group 1 Doncaster Mile at Randwick. On that occasion he led them up almost the whole distance of the race but was swamped late and defeated in a blanket finish. He does drop back in distance but he's had a decent freshen up since that last start effort and I expect him to run boldly here.
The stable made is War Machine (12) who won two weeks ago at Caulfield over 1400 metres - Blake Shinn will ride and he looks like he has a solid book of rides for the day. That was his first start for this stable and they will be looking to get some black type against his name here in this Group 3 event. He will see it from three or four pairs back and be racing handily throughout the race.
There is a roughie here that I really like who was first up after an eight week freshen up at massive odds – Willaidow (7) who is trained by Marc Conners and will be ridden by Jason Collett – currently around $31. He always races fresh and will love this distance and the damp surface – he is one for your exotics.
Tony Gollan could finish the day on a high note with Freedom Rally (3) with Ryan Maloney riding. He was great in the Group 2 Victory stakes three weeks ago. He will be better over the longer distance and could get a win for the locals.
Far Too Easy, trained by David McColm, will have Craig Williams riding him again. Just forget the first up effort at Eagle Farm in the Victory Stakes. The track was too hard for him, and he never liked the racing surface. Back at Doomben where he has won twice previously and with a damp surface look for a drastic improvement – mad odds as well around the $26.
Selections:
5 – Rise At Dawn
3 – Freedom Rally
7 – Willaidow
11 – War Machine
Rough chance – (12) Coleman & (2) Far Too Easy
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Early Quaddie (races 2 to 5)
13,16,18,19 / 1,2,11 / 2,3,10 / 1,3,14 - cost is $108 to $1.
Value Early Quaddie (races 2 to 5)
13,16,18 / 1,2 / 3,10 / 1,14 - cost is $24 to $1
Quaddie (races 6 to 9
4,8,9,18 / 1,2,5,10 / 1,2,9 / 3,5,7,11,12 - cost is $240 to $1
Value Quaddie (races 6 to 9)
4,9 / 1,2,10 / 2,9 / 3,5,7 - cost is $36 to $1
Treble (races 7 to 9)
1,2,5,10 / 1,2,9 / 3,5,7,11,12 - cost is $60 to $1.
Jockey Challenge
Looks like a race between Blake Shinn, James McDonald, Nash Rawiller and Mark Zahra. Maybe a sneaky win to Blake Shinn this weekend – Zahra could be a rough price as well.
WINNO UPDATE SATURDAYS FROM THE TRACK
Be sure to check the up to date and amended tips each Saturday morning on Facebook after any track changes and scratchings!
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