Welcome to another edition of Shep’s Brisbane Breakdown, where each week I’ll dive into the highlights, key moments and horses to follow from the Brisbane Racing Club’s Saturday meeting. This week’s review focuses on Ladbrokes Doomben 10000 Day and wasn’t it a beauty!
The Group 1 sprint feature is one of the crown jewels of Stradbroke Season, and the 2025 edition delivered all the thrills and high-stakes drama that racing fans have come to expect.
The Archibald stable has been on fire this Carnival, and that momentum continued on Saturday, while birthday boy Chris Munce celebrated in style with two black-type wins and a near miss.
Let’s break down all the action from this exciting day of racing!
Sunshine In Paris Shines Bright in Doomben 10000 Thriller
The 2025 Group 1 Ladbrokes Doomben 10000 will go down in history as one of the most thrilling editions of the race.
Local hero Rothfire looked like he was going to cause a monumental boilover as he powered to the line, but glamour mare Sunshine In Paris was having none of that.
Trained by the red-hot partnership of Annabel & Rob Archibald, the daughter of Invader settled in the three-wide line, a position jockey James McDonald commented he wasn’t happy to be in between the 800m and 600m mark.
However, as they approached the run home, it turned into the place to be as Sunshine In Paris set sail down the outside in pursuit of Rothfire.
‘The Thrilla From Chinchilla’ gave an almighty kick in front but the tenacity of Sunshine In Paris shown through as she snatched the win right on the line.
It was a win that had everything; tension, tactics, and a touch of magic.
The Ladbrokes Doomben 10000 win was McDonald’s 19th Group 1 victory of the season and the first top flight win for Annabel and Rob since they got married.
Sunshine In Paris was well backed as a $3.30 favourite, but the win didn’t come easy for‘J Mac’.
“She’s competed against the best all the way through the autumn,” McDonald said.
“She was very tough there, so it was great to get a result for the Archibald team, and they’ve done an extremely good job.
“He (Rothfire) was as tough as they come.
“I was worried at the furlong that I wasn’t going to get to him, but he probably had a little bit tougher run than what we did but my mare kept surging.
“It’s a credit to him; he gave me a hell of a fright.”
Saturday’s Group 1 win extends the Archibalds’ hot streak in the Queensland Racing Carnival, following back-to-back Saturday doubles at Eagle Farm and the Gold Coast.
While the breeding barn could be in Sunshine In Paris’ near future, another tilt at The Everest and possibly the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup in two weeks could be on her agenda.
Ladbrokes have Sunshine In Paris on the second line of betting at $5 for the Kingsford Smith Cup.
Munce Marks Birthday with Big Day at Doomben
Champion jockey turned trainer Chris Munce will have fond memories of celebrating his 56th birthday at Doomben with multiple visits to the winners’ room.
Training in partnership with his son Corey, the Munce team had a big day with two black-type wins and coming oh so close in the Ladbrokes Doomben 10000 with an outsider that only the most astute judges and loyal stable followers gave a chance to.
The boys in blue kicked their Doomben 10000 day off with Brookhaven in the Listed Bernborough Handicap.
The five-year-old Speith gelding was having his first run since finishing seventh in the Gold Coast Mayors Vase in January so it would have been understandable if he felt the pinch late over a mile on a testing track.
That was certainly not the case with Brookhaven charging to the line following a great Tyler Schiller steer to win by a length.
Chris Munce admitted that he had worries about Brookhaven’s fitness given he had just the one trial leading into his resumption.
“He’s just such a lovely, clean winded horse,” Munce said.
“He’s had a couple of goes on wet tracks that haven’t really suited him, but I’d always been confident that he would handle it wet.
“I’ve got to say, I was a bit worried about his fitness but obviously that was the least of my worries, the way he finished off.
“So, it was great.”
While Brookhaven impressed, a major talking point was the massive flop of the heavily backed $2 favourite Al Mubhir who according to jockey James McDonald has come to the end of his preparation.
The logical next target for Brookhaven would be the Group 3 Lord Mayor’s Cup over 1800m in two weeks.
It didn’t take long for the Munce team to return to the winner’s stall with their talented two-year-old Cool Archie taking out the Group 2 Spirit Of Boom Classic in the very next race.
The Cool Aza Beel colt has gone from strength to strength since winning his maiden first-up this preparation.
After leaving the gates first, jockey Martin Harley allowed his mount to settle into his stride in a midfield position.
Cool Archie looked to be held up momentarily in the straight but burst through when the gap opened to charge to the line while holding off the late challenges of Gallo Nero and Grafterburners.
The two-year-old colt is owned by Max Whitby and Munce couldn’t hide his jubilation for training a winner for one of his longtime supporters.
“Days like this don’t come along real often, but I tell you what you enjoy when you make the most of them,” Munce exclaimed.
“I’m so proud of the staff and this team that the effort they’ve made with these horses and to be able to win it for Max.
“Max has always supported me from day one, even when I was riding, he’s been one of my biggest supporters.”
Munce declared that Cool Archie was on a path to the Group 1 Ladbrokes JJ Atkins via the Group 2 BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes.
With his temperament, he should have no trouble running out a strong mile.
“It’s onto the Sires and JJ,” Munce said.
“We might take the blinkers off him, I think but he’ll tell us what to do.
“He’s a really nice colt but you wouldn’t think he’s a colt.
“He just he’s so laid back and casual, and he’s got a heart as big as himself, which is all you can ask for.”
Cool Archie firmed to $10 for the BRC Sires Produce Stakes and $11 for the JJ Atkins with Ladbrokes.
Rough results were occurring all over Australia on Saturday and the Munce team nearly produced one of their own in the Ladbrokes Doomben 10000 with Payline.
The Shooting To Win gelding was considered the outsider of the field at $51 but defied the price by charging home from the tail to finish a half-length third.
Credit must go to everyone at the stable for turning their horses out in magnificent order and that was certainly the case with Payline with his coat so healthy that you could see your reflection in it.
Payline will head to the G1 Kingsford Smith Cup before a tilt at the G1 Stradbroke Handicap where he must be considered a huge chance with an expected 50 or 51kg on his back.
Waterhouse & Bott Unveil Talented Import
Sir Delius was considered the bet of the day at Doomben on Saturday, and the $2.7 million import certainly delivered in spades.
It was easy to see why the Waterhouse & Bott-trained son of Frankel started as a $1.80 favourite in the Group 3 JRA Chairman’s Handicap when he arrived in Australia as a Group 3 winner in France and had finished eighth in the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Floating provided Sir Delius with a fight in the straight, but his class prevailed in the final 100m to draw clear for a 1.3 length victory.
Co-trainer Adrian Bott was impressed with the entire’s first-up performance but indicated there were much bigger targets on the horizon.
“He’s a really quality individual,” Bott said.
“His form showed that previously and you saw the qualities on him in the yard today.
“It was good to see him put it all together today.
He’s only going to keep improving off the back of that experience.
“2000m is still well, well short of his best.
“You saw how strong he was through the line, but I thought he showed a nice turn of foot.
“There’s only up from here.”
Sir Delius is part-owned by Sir Owen Glenn’s Go Bloodstock who identified the four-year-old as a Melbourne Cup contender.
Bott suggested that while nothing was set in stone, the Group 2 Q22 at Eagle Farm on Stradbroke Handicap Day could be a good stepping stone to the first Tuesday in November.
“He was always purchased as a Melbourne Cup prospect,” Bott said.
“He’s got that quality about him.
“So everything that we do this preparation now is going to be geared towards that.
“We’ll see off the back of today but have no further commitment for any more runs this preparation.
“We may look at a race like the Q22 and see how that fits in with the spring.”
Ladbrokes Traders wound Sir Delius into $15 for the Melbourne Cup on the strength of his Doomben win.
In Flight Lifts Off in the Wet to Win Bright Shadow
Noted wet tracker In Flight reveled in the conditions at Doomben on Saturday to win the Listed Bright Shadow in dominant fashion.
The Joe Pride-trained mare started favourite based on her impressive heavy track record and she certainly didn’t let her backers down.
Jason Collett provided her with a beautiful run behind a hot speed before looking to be in a spot of bother at the top of the straight with no clear path.
However, the elite hoop overcame a bump and found a gap to blast his way through and onto a 1.9 length victory.
Collett, who rode the Kelly Schweida-trained El Morzillo to victory in the second race of the day, was pleased to help earn black-type for the mudlark in such a dominant fashion.
“That was easy,” Collett said.
“I was traveling lovely.
“There was a bit of a bumping duel early and I copped a squeeze and she’s probably not the biggest to be getting that sort of battle so I gave way there.
“I loved the way she traveled into it and she’s so effective in that ground.
“It’s nice to get some black type for her.”
Pride wasn’t locked into any set plan for In Flight besides the fact he’ll chase wet weather to give his rain loving mare the best chance of victory.
One possible option Pride floated was the Group 2 Moreton Cup on Queensland Oaks Day.
“I haven’t got anything specific that I really wanted to target with her,” Pride said.
“She’s yet to run out 1200m for us, but I can’t help but think that she will.
“Maybe the Morton Cup here (at Eagle Farm).
“Let’s get her home first and have a look at her.
“Anywhere where there’s a wet track, I would think I want to be so there’s a lot of options.
“There’s even races in Sydney, so we’ll just keep an eye on the weather, and we’ll follow the bad weather.”
Quote Of The Day
“I wanted to go to Chinchilla!” – Naomi Hemmings following her horse Super Duck causing a major upset in the Benchmark 78 Handicap as a $61 pop.
The non-TAB Chinchilla meeting was called off due to significant rainfall so instead Super Duck took on much stronger opposition on Ladbrokes Doomben 10000 Day.