Trainer Grahame Begg believes All Silent is nearing his old form and can defy his long odds and raging favorite Hay List to win the Group One Doomben 10,000.
Begg has declared Hay List, the $1.55 favourite with TAB Sportsbet, as beatable in Saturday’s 1350-metre feature and is confident All Silent is the horse to do it.
All Silent, a $31 chance in Doomben 10,000 markets, has settled in well since arriving in Queensland last week and will be ridden by regular jockey Brenton Avdulla.
“I’m very happy with his condition and he’s coming along very well,” Begg said.
“Hay List is a very good horse and is in great form but they’re all beatable.
“If my bloke brings his best form he’ll be hard to beat.”
Begg has saddled two placegetters in the Doomben 10,000, All Silent who ran third to Apache Cat two years ago and Monopolize who was third to the John Hawkes-trained Accomplice in 1997.
Begg isn’t concerned All Silent hasn’t started since finishing eighth to Black Caviar in the Group One TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on April 9.
“It’s about six weeks since he last started but he ran second in a barrier trial at Randwick before he left for Brisbane,” Begg said.
Begg landed his first Group One winner in Brisbane in 1990 when Eye Of The Sky won the first Doomben Cup run at weight-for-age.
“He’s (All Silent) probably a couple of lengths off his best from a few years ago but I’m very confident he’ll run well,” Begg said.
All Silent’s last victory was in the Group One Patinack Farm (1200m) at Flemington in November 2009.
Begg then campaigned All Silent overseas in Hong Kong and Dubai.
All Silent ran a creditable race to finish eighth to Sacred Kingdom in the Group One Hong Kong Sprint in 2009 before heading back home where he resumed in the autumn finishing 11th to Wanted in the Group One Newmarket Handicap in March 2010.
The defeat didn’t stop Begg from heading to Dubai three weeks later with All Silent who ran fifth, less than three lengths from the winner Joy And Fun, in the Group Three Al Quoz Sprint (1200m).
“It took a long time for him to get over those trips overseas,” Begg said.
“Last year he spent more than three months in quarantine.
“He shed his coat in the 50 degree heat every day while he was in Dubai and when he got back home it took a long time for his coat to grow back.”
AAP TURF
