Coffs Harbour preview: Trainer Adam Duggan confident gelding can be big threat up in distance

News.com.au

21-04-2025

Gosford trainer Adam Duggan says there is no better time for the 1967 Golden Slipper winner Sweet Embrace's modern-day descendant Divine Bene to make his 1400m debut than at Coffs Harbour on Tuesday.
Duggan's four-year-old gelding has done some good things in his nine starts, all of which have been at distances ranging from 1000m up to 1262m.
Divine Bene broke through for a well-earned first win when he had his first run for the year in an 1150m Maiden at Beaumont on March 24.
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He followed that up with an honourable third at Newcastle in a Class 1 three weeks ago behind the Kris Lees-trained/Coolmore-bred blue blood, Lutetia.
'He won well first-up in a pretty average race and I thought there was plenty of merit in his second run,'' Duggan said.
'He was just beaten by a couple of better horses on the day but I just thought that run, going along at a good gallop like he did, might just sort of help solid him up for the 1400m so to speak.
'I have been looking forward to getting him to 1400m and even maybe a mile.'
Divine Bene is a horse with 'cerise' running through his veins given the sheer number of Woodlands males and females that share his family tree.
None of them more famous than his sixth dam, Sweet Embrace, who won the 10th running of the Golden Slipper Stakes and to this day, still holds the record as the longest priced winner, SPing at 40/1.
Sweet Embrace went on to become a broodmare of note, more so via her daughters, one of which (Sudden Impulse) was responsible for the trio of Ingham stakes winners, Strategic, Clang and Destruct.
Divine Bene returns strong, winning first up for @adugganracing with @AshMorgan6 in the saddle! ðŸ'� pic.twitter.com/TxEXzHXsf6
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) March 24, 2025
Despite his 'Golden pedigree', Divine Bene cost 'only' $60,000 when presented at the 2022 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
'He hasn't paid his way yet but if he got the job done on Tuesday, he'd be getting pretty close,'' Duggan said.
Divine Bene will have company of the float by another Duggan-housed blue blood, Call Me Basil.
The three-year-old gelding turned in an encouraging debut at Taree on April 5 when third in the 1270m maiden.
'After reviewing that meeting, you just couldn't make ground down any part of the middle of the track so his run was probably a bit better than it looked,'' Duggan said.
'He is still a fairly inexperienced horse and is probably going to get over a bit of ground in time being by Kingman out of that mare that he is out of.
'I don't think the wet track will worry him and I don't mind the barrier for him.
'He is no good thing by any stretch of the imagination but it would surprise me if he is not in the finish in that sort of grade of race.
'I am looking forward to when he is a four, five-year-old, I think he'll be a nice horse.
'I don't think he'll be racing up that way but sometimes it's not where you start, it's where you finish as they say so we'll see how it all plays out (today).'
Both of Duggan's Coffs Harbour participants will be ridden by Ashley Morgan who boasts a phenomenally high winning strike rate with the Central Coast conditioner of 26.9 per cent.
'I was pretty happy when I was able to book Ash,'' Duggan said.
'We've had a good association for a while now.
'He's a very, very good rider and I'm probably lucky to have him on at these sort of meetings.'
Queanbeyan preview: Kissing goodbye on high note
Speed freak Kissing Supido will have his last start in NSW at Queanbeyan on Tuesday before he packs up and heads north to Darwin.
The son of Widden Stud resident stallion, the one time flying machine Supido, is purpose built for Fannie Bay with his uncommon pace over the short course.
It is no wonder then that the chestnut's record at the frontrunner favoured Queanbeyan track is three starts for a win and two placings in just nine outings for trainer Joe Cleary.
'He's a very fast horse.'' Cleary said.
'He's had a fantastic base for this race first-up.
'He heads to Darwin after Tuesday. He's heading up to (trainer) Gary Clarke for the carnival up there so it's his final run for me.
'And I am more than certain he'll go out with a bang.
'His work's been great, he had a jumpout, he looks awesome and he will be straight on the bunny, handlebars down.''
Cleary has been, and remains, one of industry titan Gerry Harvey's go-to trainers when it comes to ensuring as few of his fillies and mares race off to Baramul Stud without a win or two.
Enter Juliette's Joy and Snitz And Straand, who will retire as winners when the time comes thanks to some deft placement on Cleary's behalf.
Doncaster and Epsom placegetter Zastov's granddaughter Snitz And Straand won first time out for Cleary on the Riverside track at Wagga, while Juliette's Joy has barnstormed her way to three wins in only 10 starts since her change of address.
Juliette's Joy looks ideally placed at 1460m second-up off a stunning return in a 1200m race at Queanbeyan when giving away an impossible start.
'She'll be winning,'' Clearly said.
'She just needed that run the other day. She probably should have run straight over the top of them.
'She has done really well in the 10 days between runs, she's done super, and she races well at the track.
'Up to the 1460m and Jess (Taylor) on, she looks like she is nearly all but over the line.'
Snitz And Straand turned in a below-par performance at Queanbeyan on April 12 but is capable of bouncing back on Tuesday.
'She got caught four deep with no cover,'' Cleary said.
'In a shallow (on Tuesday), she'll run quite well and if she gets the money she'll head to Wagga for the Guineas.'