Clayton Douglas-trained Blue Hotel faces first Melbourne test in Quezette Stakes at Caulfield

News.com.au

a day ago

Clayton Douglas is attacking Saturday's Quezette Stakes from a different angle to his fellow trainers.
Douglas will test I Am Invincible filly Blue Hotel against more experienced opposition in the Caulfield Group 3 feature.
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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.
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'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.'
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.
'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.