Yes he can! Samadoubt salutes for Not A Single Doubt
Darby Racing's Samadoubt defies expectations to become Not A Single Dout's 11th Group 1 winner in the ATC Winx S. 1400m G1. (PHOTO: Lisa Grimm)
Minutes after Not A Single Doubt was described as “the little engine that could” at Arrowfield’s stallion parade last Saturday, his 6YO son Samadoubt plucked the $500,000 ATC Winx S. 1400m G1 from his much better-fancied rivals.
It was a perfectly timed illustration of both Not A Single Doubt’s extraordinary rise from six seasons at the bottom of Arrowfield’s roster to top five sire, and the qualities he so consistently imparts to his progeny.
Samadoubt for @BBakerRacing and @ClarkyHK has caused a boilover and taken out the G1 Winx Stakes @royalrandwick… pic.twitter.com/KlghpK9xT9
— Sky Racing (@SkyRacingAU) August 24, 2019
Samadoubt’s best previous performance was in the 2000-metre Canberra Cup LR last March, but trainer Bjorn Baker and jockey Tim Clark believed the gelding’s on-pace speed and gritty competitive spirit made a first-up tilt at a Group 1 weight-for-age sprint feasible.
Clark explained,“In two or three runs’ time over a little bit further these other horses are probably going to get the better of him, but at this point of his preparation, 1400m fresh, it just looked like an ideal race to have a throw at the stumps.”
He sent Samadoubt straight to the front and the pair controlled the pace to perfection, rounding the turn with a clear break on the field. Clark waited until the 350-metre mark before asking Samadoubt for more, and more was what he got, as the season’s first Group 1 winner pinned his ears back and powered to the line, defeating Happy Clapper & Invincible Gem in 1:21.05.
Bred by Scott Darby and bought from the Riversdale draft for $40,000 by Darby Syndications at the 2015 Inglis Classic Sale, Samadoubt is the best of five winners left by Isadora (by Gold Fever), a half-sister to Group 2 winner Apollo Wonder. He is the syndicator’s third Group 1 winner after Champion fillies Yankee Rose (by All American) & She Will Reign (by Manhattan Rain) and all three were conceived at Arrowfield.
Samadoubt is the 11th Group 1 winner for Not A Single Doubt whose record is notable for the versatility as well as the class of his best progeny, among them 2YO stars Miracles of Life & Extreme Choice, South Australian Derby winner Qafila, top-drawer mares Kenedna & Secret Agenda, sprinter-milers Scales Of Justice, Clearly Innocent & Good Project, Caulfield Guineas winner Mighty Boss and Single Gaze, a Group 1 winner at three and runner-up in the 2017 Caulfield Cup.
Not A Single Doubt finished 2018/19 in 5th spot on the Australian General Sires’ premiership with almost $12 million and 15 stakeswinners, and a month into the new season, he is already back in the top 10.
