Blue Hotel faces first Melbourne test in Quezette Stakes at Caulfield
Douglas will test I Am Invincible filly Blue Hotel against more experienced opposition in the Caulfield Group 3 feature.
• PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Blue Hotel won the Listed Dequettville Stakes in Adelaide on debut at her only two-year-old appearance in April but the Adelaide two-year-old form will be on trial in the $200,000 Quezette Stakes.
Adelaide form stood up when Esha improved off a Murray Bridge maiden win to dominate her rivals at The Valley last Saturday.
Douglas said the Quezette Stakes would provide a few answers to Blue Hotel's progress since emulating her dam Volcada by winning the Dequettville Stakes.
• Brad Waters' Caulfield Saturday tips, race-by-race analysis
'It will be interesting to see how my filly goes in Melbourne grade,' Douglas said.
'Saturday is going to determine how she's going and where she sits in the pecking order.
'But she seems to have really come on since her win.
'She's a good filly and I think she'll be hard to beat on what I've seen of her so far.'
Trainer Clayton Douglas will test unbeaten filly Blue Hotel in Melbourne grade in Saturday's Group 3 Quezette Stakes at Caulfield. Picture: Getty Images
Winning or performing strongly against the likes of the unbeaten Scenic Point and Signature Scent would provide Douglas with the information he needed to determine the next couple of runs of Blue Hotel's preparation.
Melbourne's spring program for three-year-old fillies' provided a plethora of opportunities, which could lead to the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes down the Flemington straight in November.
• 'Did everything she was asked': Lightning champ returns at Caulfield
'It's really hard to say where she will end up,' Douglas said.
'I think she's going to be a sprinting filly but after Saturday, there's races like the Cap D'Antibes down the straight.
'There's also a race like the Coolmore or even the Poseidon or Danehill Stakes.
'A race like the Atlantic Jewel (Stakes) is an option as well.'
Blue Hotel has drawn barrier eight in the Quezette Stakes, which is unlikely to hinder the filly's tactics of racing off the pace under jockey Mark Zahra.
'There will be good speed on and she can get off the speed and be hitting the line hard first-up and that will give us an idea of where to go after that,' Douglas said.
Read related topics: Adelaide
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘Not good enough': Footage exposes Nick Daicos' horror lapse
Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd has called out Nick Daicos over a costly defensive lapse on Saturday night. The Crows secured a nailbiting three-point win over Collingwood, 9.5 (59) to 8.8 (56), to clinch a top two spot on the ladder. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. But with a little over nine minutes left on the clock and the Crows holding a two-point advantage, Daicos slipped up. As both sides awaited a boundary throw in deep inside Adelaide's forward 50, Daicos moved clear of his opponent James Peatling. The 22-year-old positioned himself in clear air in front of Darcy Cameron, but it quickly went pear-shaped. The throw from the boundary umpire fell short as Cameron stuck his left boot at the ball, which trickled off the side of his boot and ended up in the hands of Peatling who was all alone. The 24-year-old midfielder collected the ball and snapped to extend the Crows' lead out to eight points. The final quarter moment was highlighted by Crows great Rory Sloane, who said Daicos failed to put a body on his rival when it was needed most. 'This was the only breakdown for the Pies the entire game and it came at a crucial time,' Sloane said on Channel 9's Sunday Footy Show. 'Your job at a D50 stoppage is to go man first, defend first and then worry about the ball. 'Nick's too far away from Peatling, who picks that ball up and kicks the snap. 'I know why Daicos did it, he's reading this play (and) it dropped short. He's thinking Cameron might take it and give the handball. 'But that was a huge error.' Lloyd doubled down and said the mistake couldn't be forgiven. 'That's not good enough. 'I'm not cutting anyone slack in that regard. You have to have body contact. 'What is Nick doing there? You must grab a player. Peatling is sitting there saying all my Christmases have come at once, there's no-one on me. 'So whether it fell short or it didn't you must be locked on D50, there should be no spare players.' The moment came after Daicos raised eyebrows earlier in the contest when he was awarded a contentious free kick. The Collingwood superstar was going toe-to-toe with Adelaide's Brodie Smith when he drew the umpire's whistle. The push and shove between the pair kicked off when Daicos planted a forceful right hand into Smith's chest only for the Crows veteran to respond with a left shove and then a right to the chest. It was Smith's final blow however that left Daicos hunched over on the turf grabbing his chest as the whistle blew to award the free kick.
News.com.au
6 hours ago
- News.com.au
Daly Cherry-Evans responds to Roosters' backflip rumours
Manly skipper Daly Cherry-Evans says he's handling the firestorm around his playing future 'as best as he can', conceding a finals series in his last season at the Sea Eagles is now unlikely. The Sea Eagles' 26-12 loss to the Tigers on Sunday essentially eliminates them from finals contention. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. It's a disappointing scenario for Manly, who have lost four games in a row to fall out of the eight. Cherry-Evans cut a dejected figure on the field at full time and in the Sea Eagles' post-game press conference. 'We're now hoping to make the finals which is where you don't want to be,' the Manly skipper said. 'I don't know if toll is the right word, but after the game there is a bit to process. I've got a lot of love for this place so obviously wanted to finish with a finals campaign but that's really unlikely. The realisation of that is why I looked so disappointed after the game.' Cherry-Evans was then asked by a journalist if the outside noise around his future has affected him. The star half is expected to join the Roosters next season although nothing has been made official. Given Cherry-Evans' up-and-down form, combined with the recent red-hot run of the Roosters and their halfback Sam Walker, it has led to speculation the Chooks might have a case of buyer's remorse. In addition, it was reported earlier in the week that Cherry-Evans' Roosters deal hasn't been registered by the NRL yet. 'Just to be clear so I can differentiate, I'm definitely not happy with losing four in a row,' Cherry-Evans said. 'Everything else to be honest with you, I'm doing the best I can and feeling like I can hold my head up high.' Manly coach Anthony Seibold didn't want to make excuses for what he labelled a 'massive step back'. However, he noted his team's injury crisis, with seven first choice forwards all unavailable. 'We've come off the back of a really tough month of footy where we've played three of the top four teams, which has taken a fair bit of juice out of us,' he said. 'We were entrenched in the finals so the last month has been really disappointing for us. 'We're missing some of our bigger bodies and we were beaten up the middle today. 'Seven of what we potentially thought would be first choice forwards unavailable at present, but our group today, we beat Melbourne a month ago. Same group of players. So injuries are not an excuse. 'We were way off today but we lost the battle in the middle. I can bulls**t you but that's where we lost it.'
News.com.au
8 hours ago
- News.com.au
Footy world goes postal on Ollie Wines' three-game AFL suspension
Port Adelaide star Ollie Wines has been handed a hefty three-match ban from the AFL Tribunal and it has led to a fierce response from footy fans. The 30-year-old veteran is set to miss Ken Hinkley's farewell game next week after the Match Review Officer judged Wines' bump on Carlton's Cooper Lord as careless conduct, severe impact and high contact. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. With just over eight minutes remaining in the second quarter of the Blues' 54-point thrashing at Marvel Stadium on Saturday, a Travis Boak handball was intercepted by Lord. The 23-game midfielder wheeled around to the top of the defensive 50m arc and sent a kick down the middle of the ground. Wines arrived late and opted to bump, with the incident barely noted by commentators at the time. 'Dangerous (Boak) handball, a little too aggressive, Lord cut it off and he was bumped on the kick,' Dwayne Russell said on Fox Footy as the play unfolded. That was the first and only mention of the clash and Lord played out the first half, laying a tackle late in the second quarter. The 20-year-old, who is in his second season with the Blues, was then in the centre square for the opening bounce to start the third term, suggesting he got through the main break and was deemed fit to continue. He was ultimately subbed out late in the third quarter, however, replaced by Corey Durdin as the youngster was diagnosed with a delayed concussion. Lord also wasn't seen when the team sung the song in the rooms after the victory. Former Hawthorn defender Campbell Brown the discussed the incident on Channel 7 on Sunday. 'That's the bump, that's the contact,' he said. 'Now you could argue that it's back/shoulder, it didn't look or appear to be getting him in the head. 'But delayed onset of concussion was the result and (Wines has) been offered three weeks by the MRO.' The finding means Wines' season is over unless he manages to beat the charge at the AFL Tribunal. The 273-game Brownlow medallist would also be absent from Hinkley's 282nd and final match as coach of the Power, against the Suns at Adelaide Oval on Friday night. 'Ollie Wines, not such good news for him, he's been offered a three-match ban,' David Zita said on Fox Footy on Sunday evening. 'So if Ollie Wines accepts that ban, he misses Ken Hinkley's farewell game next week as well as the first two rounds of next season.' The announcement of the decision from the MRO quickly erupted on social media and it's fair to say a huge percentage of footy fans were less than happy. Among a huge number of comments along the lines of 'that is a joke', many fans seemed to question whether they were watching the right vision to warrant a three-match suspension. X account Biscotti Hodges wrote: 'Is this the incident or have they uploaded the wrong footage?' BigNoob210 tweeted: 'Nice bump, can you show us the footage of what he's actually getting suspended for?' Frank Rodringo offered: 'I still can't see where this happened, watched it 4 times.' Bowen Smith asked: 'Is this the correct footage?' Steven Taddei declared: 'This surely can't be the incident?' An X account called Cliffy also wrote: 'Um, where is the incident?' With Wines set to be sidelined for Port's final game of the season, plus the first two matches of 2026, many fans were calling for Port Adelaide to appeal the decision. A number of others seemed shock by the ban. A Port fan going by the handle Bigdog 2477 tweeted: 'Obviously I'm bias but is this not the most embarrassing 3 week suspension ever?' Christian Wise wrote: 'Wowie 3 weeks for that.' Xav said: 'Hahahaha this has to be a piss take.' Deb Sharman asked: '3 matches for what?? A bump on the side?' There were a rare few supporting the decision. 'Chose to bump and concussed him. Makes sense,' was one tweet. 'Lord ended up with a concussion and Wines chose to bump. No brainer really,' suggested another. But the vast majority appeared stunned by the ruling, with all eyes now on Port Adelaide's next move.
