Blue Hotel ready for 2025 Quezette Stakes test

Trainer Clayton Douglas has already achieved the initial goal he set for talented filly Blue Hotel, and now the focus shifts to assessing her place in the three-year-old ranks. The daughter of Volcada resumes in Saturday’s Group 3 Quezette Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield, having scored an impressive debut victory in Adelaide.

Her debut success came in the Listed Dequetteville Stakes (1000m) at Morphettville Parks – the same race her dam won in 2007. “Her mother won the same race over in Adelaide, so that was a little plan we set before she had raced, and luckily it came off,” Douglas said. “She came to hand quickly last prep. She had a jump-out at Balnarring, another one at Woolamai and then she was off to the races. I think she’s going to mature again after her spring campaign, but it’s good to have a filly of this quality anyway.”

Douglas explained that a return to Adelaide for the autumn was considered but ultimately shelved after a Balnarring jump-out in April. “We were contemplating running her on Goodwood Day in the two-year-old race (Group 3 David Coles Stakes), but it would have been five or six weeks between runs. She had a jump-out in between and after that we elected to give her a month off and get her ready for the early spring. She showed us that she is up to these sort of fillies, so we’ll see how she measures up.”

Facing strong opposition including Scenic Point and Signature Scent, Douglas remains optimistic about Blue Hotel’s chances. “Scenic Point looks like she’s a pretty handy filly and Ciaron Maher’s filly (Signature Scent) with Willo on, it’s quite a nice horse and both of those have drawn quite well. There’s no hiding this time of year. You have to take them on, but she did run second to Esha in a trial and she’s run second to Vinrock, so her trial form reads pretty well for Saturday. She’s a filly that has had only the one start and is still learning a little bit, but I’m happy with how she is going into Saturday.”

Fans looking to back Blue Hotel in the Quezette Stakes can find the latest odds and promotions at Australia’s leading betting sites.