Final Salute seals double for Doubt

Not A Single Doubt completed a two-state stakes double on Saturday when Bob & Sandra Peters’ home-bred Final Salute took out the $100,000 WATC J.C. Roberts S. 1800m LR, after Single Bullet’s Group 3 win in Sydney.

Final Salute enjoyed an untroubled run at Ascot, sitting fourth on the rail until William Pike peeled him out on the turn and sent him forward, with the result soon settled by a half-length margin. Gatting and Friaresque filled the placings and the favourite Gangbuster was fourth.

Watch Final Salute win the WATC J.C. Roberts S. LR.

Final Salute had won his maiden at Northam last October and was a good fourth in the WA Guineas G2 in November before a brief spell followed by a fifth and then a Listed placing at Ascot last month.

He is Not A Single Doubt’s 39th stakeswinner and the second of two winners out of New Zealand Listed winner Sophia Babe (by Iglesia), from the famous “Heights” family. That makes him a relative of Champion 3YO Sky Heights, Classic-winning fillies Mapperley Heights & Royal Heights and the 1970s champion Battle Heights whose 23 wins included the 1974 Cox Plate.

Sophia Babe has a 2YO colt So Great (by Pierro) in training alongside Final Salute, a yearling filly by Pierro and she is in foal to Not A Single Doubt.

This was Not A Single Doubt’s second stakes double in 2016/17, following his memorable night at Moonee Valley on 30 September, when Extreme Choice won the Moir S. G1 and Don’t Doubt Mamma was successful in the Stocks S. G2.

Last month the Not A Single Doubt-Sambar colt topped the Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale when he was knocked down to trainer Chris Gangemi for $325,000.

The son of Redoute’s Choice lies fifth on the Australian General Sires’ premiership with $6.8 million, a figure that his likely Slipper runners Gunnison and Single Bullet can now boost substantially.