Under-rated Don’t Waiver gets the chance to step out of the shadows of some of his more prominent stablemates at Doomben.
Trainer Stuart Kendrick still has a strong team of three-year-olds despite losing Australian Derby placegetter Eric The Eel to Hong Kong racing.
Stablemate Star Of Michelin is back on track, winning a barrier trial after suffering cardiac arrhythmia in a race last month.
The trainer has a big opinion of Don’t Waiver who he entered for the Group One Spring Champion Stakes at Randwick last year.
Instead of running in the Spring Champion, Don’t Waiver was kept in Brisbane for the Group Three Grand Prix in which he was unplaced.
Kendrick sent Don’t Waiver for a spell after the Grand Prix to allow the gelding to mature.
Don’t Waiver was a close third after being four-deep throughout in a 1400m-race first-up at the Sunshine Coast on April 25.
He will be having his second run this campaign in Saturday’s Doomben Guineas (formerly Listed Daybreak Lover Stakes) over 1600m.
“It was a sound effort first up and he is looking for at least the 1600 metres now.” Kendrick said.
“I had hopes for him as a Queensland Derby horse but with that race off the board he is heading to the Rough Habit Plate as his grand final.”
Don’t Waiver has won two of his 11 starts and has been minor placed a further six times.
“His most recent placings have been around three-year-olds like Profit and Guntantes so I am confident the class won’t worry him,” Kendrick said.
Kendrick has decided to run Group One Stradbroke Handicap hopeful Tambo’s Mate in the Group Three BRC Sprint on Saturday.
He had been debating whether to save Tambo’s Mate for the Chief De Beers Handicap at the Sunshine Coast on Friday week.
“In the end he has the minimum weight on Saturday and the BRC Sprint will show us if we are on the right track looking at the Stradbroke,” Kendrick said.
“If he can’t run well on Saturday we can look at something easier.”
The Stradbroke and the J J Atkins for two-year-olds are the only two Group One races during the winter carnival which has been truncated because of the impact of COVID-19 on revenue.