The suspense over Napoleonic’s potential inclusion in the Doomben 10,000 has lifted, as Abounding’s scratch created room for the colt in the Group 1 speed test.
Having borne a nerve-wracking week as second emergency for the $1.5 million prize, the three-year-old’s camp watched Beadman enter Wednesday after Lady Of Camelot’s retirement due to a sting ray lesion.
Tom Charlton, Napoleonic’s conditioner, arranged a Plan B yet was overjoyed by the green light, keeping their roadmap intact with the Doomben 10,000 (1200m), Fred Best Classic (1400m) and Stradbroke Handicap (1400m).
“It’s important because he looks like he’s in a big race with a chance,” Charlton said.
“It has always been the plan, and it’s not normally a race where you get a full field. Normally a (benchmark rating) 103 three-year-old gets in, so it was a bit of a spanner in the works.
“But thankfully, we’re in.”
The colt, sidelined since a gritty run amid Australia’s top sprinters in the March Canterbury Stakes (1300m), arrived in Brisbane via float on Thursday.
Charlton praised the uneventful travel after a sharp session earlier that week with his Doomben 10,000 mount James McDonald.
“He worked very well with Linebacker on Tuesday. James came in and rode him, which makes our life easy because he knows where we’re at, and he was very pleased,” Charlton said.
“We can’t fault the preparation thus far.”
At $6.50, Napoleonic ties with Grafterburners for second in Doomben 10,000 betting, behind favourite Jimmysstar at $3.50.
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