DOOMBEN 10,000

(GROUP 1)

TIM Clark rode a beautifully thought-out race aboard the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained English to win the Doomben 10,000, the first Group 1 of Queensland’s autumn carnival.

A Golden Slipper runner-up in 2015, the Encosta De Lago mare, a homebred of Newhaven Park, was out of the gates smartly to settle fourth in the 1,200-metre weight-for-age sprint.

Poised around the bend, Clark balanced English before sprinting through on the rail.

Sweeping past Redzel, she hit the line hard to keep the Lonhro horse Impending at bay with the Hard Spun gelding La Romain less than half a length away in third, as The Everest winner Redzel filled fourth.

“She’s got a dynamite turn of foot, but it’s only about a furlong, so it’s important she’s not too far off them,” said Clark.

“It was my first ride on her and it’s a big thrill to get another Doomben 10,000 and to do it for Gai and Adrian.”

Rising six and with six wins from 25 starts including two Group 1 wins, English looks set to forge on with her racing.

As Bott indicated, English could stay on for the major Group 1 races in Brisbane.

“It’s all open to her at the moment.

“I guess with a win like that, we’ll see whether we could keep her in training and look at a race like The Everest again.”

English was sixth in the inaugural Everest, less than three lengths from the winner Redzel.