Outsider Humma gave trainer Rob Heathcote a pleasant surprise when the seven-year-old booked a Brisbane Cup start next month with a nail-biting win in the Group Three Chairman’s Handicap at Doomben.
Heathcote, Brisbane’s leading trainer, was watching stablemate Tabulate’s finishing effort along the rails and hadn’t realised Humma was in the photo with Victorian stayer Viking Hero.
In a deceptive finish, Humma ($21) got the judge’s verdict by a nose over Viking Hero ($11) with Count Encosta ($18) a further long head away third.
“I wasn’t sure about the finish. To be honest I was watching Tabulate shoot up along the rails,” Heathcote said.
Humma had failed at his two starts since winning the Listed Toowoomba Cup in March.
“This win is a little unexpected but it was a lovely ride from Larry Cassidy,” Heathcote said.
“He had to show us he could step up today to go on further in the carnival and he has.
“He’s been very disappointing on all the wet tracks we’ve had of late and this is the first time he’s struck a decent track for a while.”
“He’s won a Listed race in the Toowoomba Cup and now a Group Three. I’m over the moon and we’ll look toward the Brisbane Cup next with him.”
The Group Two Brisbane Cup (2400m) will be run at Eagle Farm on June 11.
Blazing Hearts may have earned a start in next month’s Group One Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm following the six-year-old’s narrow win in the Kids Infront Handicap (1350m).
Blazing Hearts rediscovered his best form to down Pleasure Time by a neck.
Winning jockey Shane Scriven, who is riding on a stay of proceedings pending his appeal against a five-month suspension over his infamous whip stealing incident at Ipswich, had to lose 2kg in the sweat baths on race morning to ride Blazing Hearts at 55kg.
“He had no luck in the Prime Minister’s Cup at the Gold Coast last start so we decided to give him an easy time this week and back him up,” Bougoure said.
“He’s in all the big sprints but we can rule out the Doomben 10,000,” Bougoure said referring to the likely presence of Black Caviar in the Group One feature in a fortnight.
“But he’d be a chance in the Stradbroke.”
The Group One Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) will be run at Eagle Farm on June 11.
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