Northern Decree set for Doomben comeback

By Glenn Davis

Trainer Rob Heathcote is on a golfing expedition in Japan but still hopes to watch promising five-year-old Northern Decree embark on a new campaign at Doomben on Wednesday.

Heathcote is not long back from a European holiday and left for Japan last week to play golf with a group of friends.

“Rob is in Japan on a golf trip and last I heard he was going to watch the races on Wednesday, but he was having trouble with the Wi-Fi network over there,” said Heathcote’s racing manager Jarred Coetzee.

Northern Decree – a Martin Harley mount – steps out for the first time since May in the Class 4 Handicap over 1350 metres.

Heathcote skipped a potential Queensland Racing Carnival campaign with Northern Decree despite winning two of his past three starts.

Northern Decree hasn’t raced since a dominant win over the Tony Gollan-trained Rising Pacific in a 1350-metre Benchmark race at Eagle Farm in early May.

“Rob wasn’t keen to extend his campaign into the winter as the horse had been in work a while and we just wanted him to go out a winner before the carnival arrived in the winter,” Coetzee said.

The South-African-born Coetzee has been with Heathcote for six months and is hopeful Northern Decree will be competitive.

“He’s been working well very ahead of this race, and he trialled well when he ran fourth at Doomben recently,” Coetzee said.

“Martin Harley is riding him and hopefully he can find a midfield spot for him.

“He’s looking for further, but we’ve got no long terms plans with him just yet as we want to see how he goes on Wednesday.”

The Heathcote stable also accepted with Sultry Siren in the Maiden Plate and Helikedempretty and Magic Island in the Benchmark 65 Handicap.

Sultry Siren arrives from the Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman stable at Pakenham in Victoria.

The four-year-old daughter of Snitzel has started only five times for three placings but hasn’t raced since finishing fourth in a 1200-metre maiden at Echuca in early April.

“We’re very keen to see how Sultry Siren goes in her first start for the stable as she’s trialled extremely well,” Coetzee said.