TRAVIS Doudle has his sights on TAB Finals Day later this month with talented grey Struck By.
Doudle has gone for the blinkers again at his second run back from a spell in a heat of the Gytrash Series over the 1200m journey at Morphettville on Saturday.
“I was a bit disappointed with him first-up,’’ Doudle said.
“In saying that he hadn’t raced for a fair while and I’d like to think he can bounce back on Saturday,’’ he said.
Struck By is drawn awkwardly in barrier 12 and has his big weight offset by the claim for talented apprentice Alana Livesey who rides at more than 23 per cent runners to winners for the stable.
“I actually like that he’s drawn out,’’ Doudle said.
“If he steps slow, he can take his time to cross and build his revs.
“I would have hated to have drawn barrier one, jump half slowly and then get stuck in behind them,’’ he said.
Struck By finished third in the Subzero race for greys at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day last year, stablemate Prince Jofra a chance of flying the flag for his Morphettville stable next Tuesday.
“It doesn’t look a super strong field with a few of the fancied horses double nominated,’’ Doudle said.
“The standout horse gets 63kg in a non-claiming race so it’s a race we have to have a serious look at.
“He probably should have won his first start for me and hasn’t done a lot wrong in all six runs since I got him,’’ he said.
Doudle is hoping stable star Not Usual Glorious can continue his progression towards the $500,000 Country Cup Final at Caulfield via Saturday’s $120,000 John Letts Cup (1800m).
He said the horse would appreciate dropping in weight to the set weights and penalties of the feature after carrying 61kg in last week’s Gawler Cup.
“Knowing he’s already qualified for Caulfield has meant we’ve been able to keep him in his own backyard,’’ Doudle said.
“He gets a bit of weight relief and his chance on Saturday,’’ he said.
