GAI WATERHOUSE'S plan to win the Doncaster Mile with the lightly raced Ashikaga is in tatters after the five-year-old flopped as an odds-on favourite in yesterday's Newcastle Newmarket.
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The race was won by Solo Flyer, which set a 1400-metre course record in one minute, 20.98 seconds, prompting his trainer Anthony Cummings to declare it was all systems go to the Doncaster on April 18.
"We leave as baffled as we arrived," Waterhouse said.
Andrew Baddock, who manages the Gooree Stud operation which races Ashikaga, declared the performance "disgraceful".
"Absolutely awful," Baddock said. "Blake Shinn [jockey] said the horse never travelled."
Cummings bought Solo Flyer as a yearling, with Australian Jockey Club committee member Julia Ritchie in the ownership. "He had operations on both knees to remove bone chips after running in the AJC Derby," Cummings said. "He has always promised to do this. Nice to see him realise that potential."
Solo Flyer ($8.50) held off the Victorian galloper Chasm ($8.50) to win the Newmarket.
Meanwhile, former Racing NSW chief handicapper Mark Webbey believes super mare Hot Danish faces a difficult task winning Saturday's Coolmore Classic at Rosehill. She will carry topweight of 59 kilograms, with retired champ Sunline the only horse to carry more and win in the past 20 years, having won in 2000 and 2002 with 60kg.
"From what I've seen on current form, she [Hot Danish] may be the best horse in the country," said Webbey, now racing manager for Nathan Tinkler. "She deserves the 59kg in a fillies' and mares' group 1 but she is conceding weight to some horses that are well performed in group races."
Hot Danish, which was installed $3.80 favourite with TAB Sportsbet, goes up 2kg on the weight carried when second in last year's Coolmore behind Eskimo Queen.
"Horses like the dual group 1 winner Eskimo Queen, the consistent Gallant Tess and Culminate, which has solid group form in New Zealand, appear well in at the weights," Webbey said.