Pre-post favourites Manighar and Shez Sinsational are obvious threats to Scenic Shot collecting a third Doomben Cup, the veteran galloper’s jockey Shane Scriven says.
Scriven, who credits the $3.2 million earner as the reason for his latest return to the saddle, rates Scenic Shot in equal form ahead of his wins in 2009 and 2011.
“I know him pretty well now and everything has been the same as before leading into the race,” Scriven said.
“He’s just an old professional.
“I can’t fault him in any way,” Scriven said. “He loves 2000 metres and there is a sense of deja vu with him.”
But Scriven says this year’s field promises to be stronger with the inclusion of imported stayer Manighar and the New Zealand mare Shez Sinsational.
“There are one or two more quality horses there this year,” Scriven said.
Manighar has been kept in work in a bid to win his fourth Group One weight-for-age race under the watch of trainer Peter Moody.
The imported stayer won the Australian Cup, the Ranvet Stakes and the BMW Stakes during the Melbourne and Sydney autumn carnivals.
As such, he heads latest TAB Sportsbet markets on Saturday’s $500,000 race at $3.20 from Shez Sinsational at $4.50. Scenic Shot is a $13 chance.
“It certainly wasn’t music to my ears when I heard Manighar was coming for the race,” Scriven said.
“And you could see with Shez Sinsational when she won at the Gold Coast there was a lot of improvement there.”
Scenic Shot finished in fifth place, 4-1/2 lengths behind Shez Sinsational on a heavy track in the Hollindale Cup at the Gold Coast last Saturday week.
Trained by Dan Morton, Scenic Shot came off a similar finish at the Gold Coast before beating Racing To Win in 2009 and he was able to lift on a Hollindale third last year to My Kingdom Of Fyfe to beat that galloper at Doomben.
Scriven made his return from a long suspension over a whip-stealing offence at Ipswich last year in time to ride Scenic Shot at Eagle Farm last month.
He went close to a fairytale result when he rode Scenic Shot’s stablemate Scenic Blast into second placing in the BTC Cup.
But Scriven admits it is Scenic Shot who has provided the motivation for a return to racing.
“I was dirty missing out on riding Scenic Shot in Melbourne and Sydney and I was adamant I wasn’t going to be left out when he returned to Brisbane,” he said.
“It’s mainly because of him that I’m still riding.”
