Promising Toowoomba sprinter Chandra earned a long-range shot at the Doomben summer series in December following the gelding’s narrow win at Doomben on Saturday.
Backing up after a 1500-metre win at Eagle Farm last Saturday, Chandra stormed home to beat Ausworld by a short half-head in a deceptive finish to the Westfield Chermside Handicap (1615m).
Win A Million battled on fairly to finish third a further 3-3/4 lengths away.
Trainer Jeff Dann plans to give Chandra a short break following the gelding’s fourth win in only 13 starts and hopes he will measure up to the Doomben summer series which kicks off with the Group Three George Moore Stakes (1200m) in December.
“This was his first go at 1600 metres and he had to make a long, sustained run to win,” Dann said.
“But he managed to get a nice cart up through the run and he won well.
“I’d like to see if he could sneak into the Doomben summer series later in the year. I really think he’s going to develop into a nice four-year-old.”
Dann, who bred Chandra, landed a double at Eagle Farm last week with the son of Easy Rocking and Tea Tattle.
Chandra was perfectly handled by Toowoomba jockey Gary Geran who backed Dann’s belief that Chandra is set for a big four-year-old season.
“He got over nicely just after we jumped to one off the fence but I was a bit concerned when he started to pull,” Geran said.
“He was going that well I was always confident he could win.
“He’s still a bit immature but he’s got a great turn of foot and he’ll have a big season in his four-year-old year.”
Dann bred Chandra whose dam, Rose Of Kwila, is a half-sister to his former useful galloper Under Suspicion.
“Under Suspicion was a good gelding who ran second to Consular in the (Listed) Goldmarket Handicap at the Gold Coast eight years ago, the year before he (Consular) was narrowly beaten in the Stradbroke,” he said.
AAP TURF
