Former West Australian trained Tradesman got the job done by scoring his first win for the Darren Weir stable in the $40,000 Warrnambool Handicap over 1700m on the first day of the three day Warrnambool Cup Carnival on Tuesday.
Gailo Chop, above, is the early favourite for the 2018 Doomben Cup at Doomben. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Tradesman was having his third start for Weir and the master trainer was that impressed with the win that he will now test the six year old out at Group 1 level during the Queensland Winter Carnival in the $650,000 Hardy Brothers Doomben Cup (2000m) at Doomben on May 19.
“The horse ran really well and we will head on now to the Doomben Cup,” Weir told racing.com.
“He is a good horse. We were always going to head to Queensland.”
“Whether he is a Doomben Cup horse I am not sure but the Brisbane Cup and the races after that, the Caloundra Cup and those races, they fit in really well for him. He is an exciting horse going forward.”
Tradesman is one of four horses Weir has nominated for the Doomben Cup along with French import and multiple Group 1 winner Gailo Chop, Raw Impulse and Sixtie’s Groove.
Tradesman is now the winner off eight races from twenty-four starts, but has a long way to go catch up to Gailo Chop who is the winner of thirteen of his twenty-nine starts which includes three at Group1 level.
Gailo Chop won his first race on Australian soil in the Group 1 $1m Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) at Flemington during the 2015 Melbourne Cup Carnival for French trainer Antoine de Watrigant before being transferred to Weir.
The leading Victorian trainer has been able to saddle up Gailo Chop for five wins, including two at Group 1 level in the $1m Ladbrokes Caulfield Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield during the 2017 Melbourne Spring Carnival and in the $700,000 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill during the 2018 Sydney Autumn Carnival.
Gailo Chop has been installed the $2.50 favourite for the Doomben Cup with Ladbrokes.com.au while Tradesman is marked as a $21 chance.
Early betting for the 2018 Doomben Cup at Ladbrokes.com.au: $2.50 Gailo Chop, $8 It’s Somewhat, $10 Ambitious, Comin’ Through, $11 Higher Ground, $15 Abbey Marie, All In Vogue, Consensus, One Foot In Heaven, Satono Rasen, Sixtie’s Groove, Tom Melbourne, $21 Egg Tart, Tradesman, $26 Ecuador, Oregon’s Day, Payroll, $36 or better the rest.
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