Jockey Jamie Mott is happy to stand by his Q22 ride Numerian despite the import’s unplaced run in last month’s Group 1 Doomben Cup.
Mott will ride in Melbourne on Saturday before heading to Brisbane on Saturday week to pilot the Annabel Neasham-trained galloper in the $1.2m Q22.
Mott steered Numerian to an impressive first-up win in the Group 2 Hollindale Stakes at the Sunshine Coast before the gelding was well held in the Doomben Cup.
The form out of the Hollindale stood up with runner-up Just Folk winning last Saturday’s Group 3 Lord Mayors Cup at Eagle Farm.
Mott said Numerian’s Hollindale Cup win might have taken too much out of the eight-year-old for the Doomben Cup.
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“He just raced flat in the Doomben Cup,” Mott said.
“He went too well first-up, he actually went unbelievably well, because fitness-wise he probably wasn’t ready to explode like that.
“He just wasn’t there the whole race and was flat the whole time.
“A lot of stayers, when they produce a personal best first-up, they can race flat the next start and that’s what he did.”
Numerian races clear from Just Folk to win the Hollindale Stakes for jockey Jamie Mott and trainer Annabel Neasham. Picture: Grant Peters / Trackside Photography
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Numerian will take on most of his Doomben Cup rivals in the Q22, which the son of Holy Roman Emperor won in 2022.
However, Mott said a longer break between runs could produce an improved effort from Numerian.
“With the two-week turnaround (into the Doomben Cup, it just took him a little bit of time to get over his first-up run,” Mott said.
“With three weeks into the Q22, I’m sure he can bounce back.”