Doubtland has stamped himself as a colt with a bright future after destroying his rivals to win the Group Three Kindergarten Stakes at Randwick.
Trained by the Hawkes Racing partnership, Doubtland was sent into Saturday’s 1100m race for two-year-olds off a debut win on the Kensington track at Randwick a month ago and he remained unbeaten with an impressive display on the opening day of The Championships.
Co-trainer Michael Hawkes says Doubtland will be given a break and he expects him to be a force to be reckoned with during his three-year-old season.
With Brenton Avdulla aboard, Doubtland ($5) settled second last on the fence in the field of seven before he was angled into the clear on the outside from the top of the straight.
He chimed in quickly to hit the front approaching the 200m on a heavy-rated track before extending clear to beat Jerle ($26) by four lengths, with New Zealand colt Not An Option ($7) another half-length away third.
“That was a lovely win,” Michael Hawkes said.
“We just get these colts right at the right time.
“To be fair, Brenton didn’t panic. He just had to wait and the option was there to go on the fence or peel him out. When he got out wide he had a lapful of horse and it was all over for mine.”
Doubtland, a son of Not A Single Doubt out of Miss Sharapova, was bought for $1.1 million as a yearling by Orbis Bloodstock.
“He’s just going to be a force to be reckoned with as a three-year-old,” Hawkes said.
“That’s why we kept him back and we didn’t really want to rush him into the bigger races such as the (Group One) Sires’.
“He’s a Group winner now, he’s worth a lot of money and he can go and have a break and he’ll come back as a lovely, lovely three-year-old.”
