Shane Scriven isn’t letting an appeal hearing which could decide his riding future cloud his ambition to claim a second Doomben Cup on Scenic Shot.
“I’ll win the Doomben Cup first on Saturday and worry about the appeal later,” Scriven said.
Scriven will front a Queensland Council and Administrative Tribunal appeal hearing on Monday after stewards banned him for five months over his infamous whip stealing incident at Ipswich.
Scriven, 45, is confident Perth stayer Scenic Shot can win the Group One Doomben Cup (2020m) for a second time and is hopeful of a good outcome with his appeal.
Scriven won the Doomben Cup on Scenic Shot two years ago but his future rests with the appeal body as the lengthy suspension threatens to end his riding career.
Scriven is firmly focused on winning the Doomben Cup on Scenic Shot, declaring the rising nine-year-old has never been in better form.
Scenic Shot has been one of Scriven’s favourite horses after the Dan Morton-trained gelding also gave him a Group One victory in the Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) at Flemington in 2009.
Despite his advancing years, Scenic Shot is racing with more enthusiasm now than at any time in his career.
“He ran a nice race when he ran third in the Hollindale Stakes at the Gold Coast last run and I couldn’t be happier with him,” Scriven said.
“His enthusiasm is better than ever and the Hollindale at the Gold Coast wasn’t the ideal race for him.
“It was a race which just fitted in well on his program for the Doomben Cup.
“In another 50 metres he would have won.”
Scriven has been Scenic Shot’s regular track rider since the gelding’s arrival in Queensland and no-one knows the son of Scenic better.
“He’s better than ever and still has that zest,” Scriven said.
“He’s an old warhorse and he still has the determination to win.
“Before he won the Doomben Cup two years ago he ran okay in the Hollindale Stakes beforehand but his Hollindale run this time was a lot better.”
Scriven believes his main rival will again be English import My Kingdom Of Fife who maintained his unbeaten southern hemisphere record in the Hollindale Stakes.
My Kingdom Of Fife, who was formerly owned by the Queen, previously claimed the Group One Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Group Three Doncaster Prelude at Randwick last month.
However, Scriven isn’t as sure with fellow import Glass Harmonium who was runner-up in the Hollindale Stakes in his Australian debut.
Glass Harmonium’s rider Hugh Bowman is confident he can turn the tables on My Kingdom Of Fife but Scriven has his doubts.
“If Glass Harmonium has improved from the Hollindale he’ll be a definite chance again,” Scriven said.
“But quite often horses who race well in their first Australian run don’t do it again.”
Bowman believes Glass Harmonium is the best horse in the Doomben Cup.
“He really attacked the line (in the Hollindale) and will benefit with that run under his belt,” Bowman said.
“He could improve five lengths, I’m not saying he’s going to improve five lengths but he could.”
AAP TURF
