Connections of Don’t Hope Do have spent the past 18 months plotting their path, ready to reap rewards in Caulfield’s elite Group 1 sprint.
Simon Zahra, trainer, views the Saturday Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield as the ideal platform for Don’t Hope Do to notch a Group 1 conquest.
With cousin Mathew Ellerton as training partners, they orchestrated Booker’s 2019 Oakleigh Plate victory; Zahra assisted on River Dove (2023) and Miss Kournikova (2001) for Ellerton, and aided John Hawkes with Sports back in 2000.
“Mathew and I won three, and we didn’t think Booker could win,” Zahra said.
“We sort of knew what type of horse it takes to win it, and whether this bloke is up to that class, time will tell, but the weight certainly helps.”
A four-time victor in 15 races, Don’t Hope Do is a natural speedster suited to 1000-1100m contests.
His stakes forays number just two: fourth in last September’s Listed Wylie Handicap at Morphettville, and a strong second on debut this campaign in the Group 2 Rubiton Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield February 7.
“We’ve placed him quite well over the last 12 months, but I said to the owners, probably 18 months ago, the Oakleigh Plate was probably the race for him,” Zahra said.
“The 1100 (metres) at Caulfield, he loves it, he’ll get in with no weight, so that was the plan and, so far, it’s worked.
“We put him up against better sprinters in the Rubiton at set-weights and thought if he can compete with them then under handicap conditions in the Oakleigh Plate, he’ll run him.
“We didn’t have him screwed down, we left a little in the tank in case we got into the Oakleigh Plate and we’ve got him there.”
Hedged and winner Oak Hill from the Rubiton Stakes retain their previous weights from a couple of weeks ago, as Don’t Hope Do benefits from a 4.5kg drop.
At Caulfield specifically, Don’t Hope Do has placed every time in three goes, highlighted by an October success.
“He loves it here, especially the 1100 (metres),” Zahra said.
“He might get to the front a bit easier with Jigsaw and some of those horses not running.
“We’ve drawn well, so we’ll see how we go.”
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