Lipp and Hahn ready to Fly at Doomben

The Rex Lipp and Nicolas Hahn trained Simply Fly will be looking to claim a tenth career victory in his thirty-first start when he steps out in an Open Handicap over 1200m at Doomben on Saturday.

Whatever that result, Simply Fly’s efforts to date translate into a very impressive strike-rate, with his successes highlighted by a win in the $500 000 QTIC Three-Year-Old Jewel at the Gold Coast back in March 2021 and in the Listed Chief De Beer at Doomben in July 2022.

Simply Fly returned to winning form (his first win in five starts) with a rousing display in an Open Handicap over 1000m at the Sunshine Coast on January 28.

The question facing punters now is how much of that win can be attributed to what appears to be a significant track preference, as the son of Spirit Of Boom has won four times from five starts at the Sunshine Coast … or whether it indicates that the five-year-old is fully charged and ready to go for his assignment in town on Saturday.

That Chief de Beers win, of course, did come at Doomben and the distance test increases here to 1200m, the distance over which he saluted in the Three-Year-Old Jewel, so Simply Fly certainly has the credentials to succeed once again.

The leading Brisbane jockey Jimmy Orman will be a big plus in the saddle where his ability to navigate a secure route from a wide barrier draw (12 out of 13) at a tempo which will allow Simply Fly to carry the top weight of 59.5kg (he will give between a 3.5kg and 7.5kg away to his rivals) in a measured enough manner to leave him strong at the finish is likely to be a crucial factor in the outcome.

That’s not easy … but then it seldom is.

First place prize-money here would take Simply Fly’s earning to just under $900 000, which, in itself, is a tribute to the polished and professional manner in which first Rex Lipp, and then Lipp in partnership with Nick Hahn, have handled the gelding who is out of the former Rex Lipp trained broodmare Express Air, who was a Queensland Guineas winner.

Simply Fly is currently a $6 chance on the fourth line of betting which is headed by the Robert Heathcote trained The Big Goodbye at $3.20 with unibet.

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