Jedibeel ripe for Doomben 10,000 mission

By Mandy Cottell and Brad Bishop

Brad Widdup hopes the finish of the Doomben 10,000 will be memorable – for all the right reasons.

Being on the wrong side of a photo finish in a feature race is nothing new to trainer Widdup but he remains hopeful Jeidbeel can bury memories of his narrow last start loss by winning the Doomben 10,000.

The sprinter went down by a short half-head to Libertad in the Victory Stakes last start, although if anybody was equipped to handle the disappointment, it was Widdup.

His star mare Icebath was edged out in the 2020 Golden Eagle by Colette, the 2021 Doncaster Mile by Cascadian and then again by Superstorm in the Cantala Stakes the following spring.

"I have been through a few of them," Widdup quipped.

"I'm the king of photo finishes that don't fall my way.

"It's a big thrill to see them run well in big races but you've got to have a tough demeanour to get through it."

Thankfully for Widdup, Icebath finally had a change of fortune when she won the 2022 Empire Rose Stakes and he is hoping Jedibeel can likewise turn his luck around.

The five-year-old has been carefully managed, allowed to work his way through the grades before Widdup finally raised the bar to more elite company over the Sydney autumn carnival.

Jedibeel responded with a strong win in the Group 2 Challenge Stakes and was far from disgraced in the Group 1 T J Smith Stakes when finishing just over two lengths from winner Briasa.

"I have probably just held him back a little bit and he is finally getting there," Widdup said.

"It has been good to give him a trip away and he ran great the other day.

"Another run or two up there won't hurt him then we will probably stop and see what happens in the spring but he's going really well."

A backmarker, Jedibeel will need a genuine tempo but with a full field of 16 including the speedy Overpass, Hidden Wealth and Belclare, he is drawn to enjoy an economical run from barrier three.

Tyler Schiller partnered him to his Challenge Stakes win and is back in the saddle on Saturday - and hopefully on the right side of any photo finish.

Meanwhile, single-digit barriers have dominated the Doomben 10,000 in the 2000s.

A low barrier draw does not always translate to an increased chance of winning, but one Group 1 race that a single-digit gate has been crucial in is the Doomben 10,000.

It has been 25 years since the $1.5 million event, which will be run at Doomben this Saturday, has been won by a horse from a double-digit barrier.

That was Mr Innocent, who won from gate 12 in a field of 15 in 2000 when it was run over 1350 metres.

Since 2017 the 10,000 has been run over 1200 metres, but the dominance of low draws has transferred over.

The widest gate to have supplied a winner since Mr Innocent's win is nine, which was where Falvelon started from in 2002, while Mazu (2022) is the only winner from eight in that timeframe, meaning 21 of the past 23 winners have started from barrier seven or lower.

The alley of seven is the most successful starting position since 2001 with five wins, barriers three and four have provided four each, the inside two alleys three apiece, while gates five and six feature once.

Stats favouring low barriers in Weight for Age events can sometimes be misleading, with many perpetually attracting a small field, but the Doomben 10,000 is not one of them.

Beaded defeated six rivals in 2011 and there were fields of nine last year and in 2016, but all other editions since 2001 have had at least 10 runners.

A total of 13 of the last 23 have had at least 13 runners, eight of them containing at least 16 runners.

A total of 17of the last 23 Doomben 10,000s have gone to horses drawn the inside half of the field.

Several of the leading chances in this year's Doomben 10,000 are drawn wide with Sunshine In Paris in 14, Mazu 13, Schwarz 11 and Overpass 10, but they all come in one position following the scratching of Estriella (barrier five).

The set-up presents punters with a dilemma in what has been a good race for those towards the head of the market.

A total of 10 of the 23 Doomben 10,000s since 2001 have been won by the favourite or equal favourite and 12 of the past 17 winners started $7 or shorter.

The two shortest-priced horses drawn the inside half of the field this year are $5.50 chance Benedetta, who will come into barrier seven, and Jedibeel ($10), who has gate three.