Sunshine Coast trainer Stuart Kendrick has given the go ahead for his filly Divine Centuri to take on the older horses in the Group 1 $750,000 James Boag’s Premium Doomben 10000 (1350m) at Doomben on Saturday.
A rousing gallop by Devine Centuri on Tuesday morning was enough to convince Kendrick that the filly was worthy of taking her place in the Brisbane Winter Carnival’s glamour Group 1 weight for age sprint.
“The work was good enough for us to roll the dice and have a go at the 10000,” Kendrick told AAP.
Divine Centuri is the winner of four of her six race starts and made it three from her last four starts with a one length win over Wicked Intent in a 1050m three year old Handicap at Doomben on May 14 which followed her win in the Listed $100,000 IGA Sunshine Coast Mick Dittman Plate (1000m) at the Sunshine Coast on April 23.
The I Am Invincible filly is also stepping up sharply in distance with the furthest she has run has been over 1200m which resulted with a win in Maiden class at the Sunshine Coast on debut in June last year and a second in a Class 1 on her home track again in February.
Kendrick has always held a high opinion of Divine Centuri and had selected the Brisbane Winter Carnival early in her campaign to test her out at the highest level.
“The winter has always been our aim,” Kendrick said.
Devine Centuri has history against her with 2012 Doomben 10000 winner Sea Siren the only three year old filly to win since the race was first run in 1933.
Even though Kendrick believes his filly is well above average, the bookies have still rated her as the equal outsider of the Doomben 10000 field at $41 alongside of the other three year among the first acceptors, the Mike Moroney trained Tavaci.
Group 1 winning mare Azkadellia is the short priced favourite at $2.80 ahead of the Chris Waller trained Delectation at $4.60 and Peter and Paul Snowden’s BTC Cup runner up Dothraki at $5.50.
– horseracing.com.au
