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Meeting In Review 19 April 2023
Date: 20-Apr-2023
Wednesday’s monster ten-race program at Ipswich belonged to Tony Gollan. Queensland’s top trainer cemented his position at the top of the Ipswich Trainers premiership with a winning treble.
Along with Gollan, the usual suspects came to the fore. We may have also witnessed a talented two-year-old register its first of many wins.
Ipswich Win Could Springboard Toowoomba Youngster Into Carnival
Toowoomba trainer Rex Lipp may have unveiled a Queensland Racing Carnival contender in the opening race at Ipswich on Wednesday.
Lipp put the saddle on Cifrado in the TAB IPSWICH CUP TICKETS ON SALE QTIS Two-Year-Old Maiden Plate over 1100m.
The well-bred juvenile (Encryption-Madame Fly) was returning for his second preparation. And what a return it was!
Jumping from the outside gate in the field of nine, jockey Boris Thornton elected to settle at the tale of the field. While riding conservatively, Cifrado still had five lengths to make up as they straightened for home.
Thornton got his mount clear air shortly after straightening and from the furlong marker, the colt let down powerfully to put the field away within the blink of an eye. Cifrado dashed clear to win by 4.8 lengths.
Adding merit to the impressive performance was the fact that Thornton’s saddle slipped badly and clearly inconvenienced him.
Despite Cifrado placing at Listed level in the Phelan Ready in December, Lipp was pleased that he chose to take his time with the youngster and felt vindicated with the decision following Wednesday’s win. The experienced conditioner suggested that he may look to some Queensland Racing Carnival two-year-old races.
“He’s a horse that showed me plenty early,” Lipp said.
“He was green, immature and I probably tried to make him an early two-year-old. In hindsight I’m glad I gave him a good break and brought him back now.
“If he measures up, he’ll go to the Winter Carnival. I may even back him up in ten days in the Dalrello (Stakes) over 1000m at Eagle Farm.
“That was the original race I was planning to go in with him but I got a bit worried about whether he was going to get in it with all the southern horses coming up.
“So, I thought let’s get a run out of him and get him on the board, get a win next to his name. He did everything professional today (Wednesday).”
Treble Puts Gollan In Driver’s Seat For Seventh Ipswich Premiership
Champion trainer Tony Gollan made it awfully difficult for his rivals to run him down in this season’s Ipswich Turf Club Trainers premiership with a winning treble at Wednesday’s meeting.
Queensland’s top conditioner won six Ipswich titles in a row between 2014 and 2020. With 21 wins already this season, which is nine clear of last year’s winner Kelly Schweida, Gollan looks poised to win his seventh title.
The first win of the treble came in the PENNYWISE BENCHMARK 65 Handicap over 1350m. Gollan had two horses entered in the seven-horse field but it was the least fancied of the two, Kinetic, that delivered the prize.
Kinetic didn’t show a great deal of speed out of the gates and soon found herself second last, some six lengths off the lead. Jockey Ben Thompson tracked stablemate A Call From Heaven everywhere which provided him a great tow into the race when they straightened.
The four-year-old found the line strongly and was punched out by Thompson to run down raging favourite Rovers Pepper and win by a neck.
Gollan praised Thompson for his ride and predicted that the daughter of I Am Invincible will cover a lot more ground this preparation.
“Ben did the right thing,” Gollan said.
“He ended up following the stablemate. He just made his move at the right time on the corner. He had to wind her up a little bit earlier as he couldn’t wait and cut the corner.
“He got her into the race a bit earlier than we normally would, but she finished off too strong.
“She’s always had the frame. It’s just taken a while to furnish.
“First time blinkers today. That’s always a beautiful gear change for these horses and she was just so much sharper with them on.
“When he asked her the question, she obviously sprinted so much quicker and was good through the line. I'm adamant she’ll run a mile this time around. I think her future is seven furlongs to a mile.”
Gollan's second win of the day came in the BOQ WINSTON GLADES QTIS Three-Year-Old BENCHMARK 65 Handicap with Boom Shot.
The son of Spirit Of Boom left the barriers slowly as he is prone to do but was hustled up by jockey Jimmy Orman to settle sixth on the fence. With 600m to go, Orman navigated off the fence to give his mount clear air.
The gelding gathered momentum off the turn to start a strong run to the winning post. In the final 100m, he powered away to win by a length and defy a late betting drift.
The win was Orman’s 31st of the current Ipswich season which is nearly double his nearest rival, Ben Thompson. It’s a truly remarkable feat.
Gollan completed his treble in the final race of the day, the PRECINCT URBAN PLANNING Class 4 Handicap over 1200m with Moreton Bay.
The four-year-old mare flew out of the gates but didn’t get the lead to herself. The Pat Webster-trained Rejoiced refused to yield and the pair went toe to toe in the early stages. Apprentice jockey Melea Castle realised she wasn’t going to be able to cross so she sat a length off her opponent.
The pair settled in for a battle in the straight. Rejoiced looked like he was going to skip away hard up against the rail but with just 51kg on her back, Moreton Bay fought back strongly late and won in a photo finish.
Moreton Bay had an 8.5kg weight advantage on Rejoiced and it proved the difference between winning and losing.
“The lovely light weight made the difference,” Gollan said.
“This mare was quite good here the other day. She just peaked late.
“We thought if we were going to win a race like this, particularly on good ground. She’s never won a race on a good track, all her races have been won on soft to heavy so if she was going to win a race on good ground, she was going to have to have a good weight pull and that’s how it panned out.
Gollan said that Castle was deserving of the win and pleased she was able to come back to the winner’s stall.
“She did a really good job,” Gollan said.
“She’s been a real girl’s horse. She’s a mare that’s very receptive to these ladies.
“She began well from the barrier, and she was able to get her to come back. Although the second horse gave a really good kick, the light weight made all the difference.
“In the end she was able to get her down strong.”
When it comes to racing, Gollan is all business summing up his winning day as “a great day at the office.”
Late Bloomer Hits Her Straps
Promising three-year-old filly Paris Avenue broke through for her first win in Wednesday’s THE SHED COMPANY QTIS Three-Year-Old Maiden Plate.
The O’Dea Hoysted-trained galloper was only fairly away and settle slightly worse than midfield in the 1350m contest. Apprentice jockey Jaden Lloyd saved ground along fence as they turned for home.
The young hoop got his mount off the fence at the right time and quickly chimed in on the outside as they straightened. Paris Avenue let down strongly and put pay to her rivals with ease, dashing away for a two-length win.
Co-trainer Steve O’Dea was pleased to see an improved performance from the grey daughter of Pride Of Dubai.
“She’s been a bit of a work in progress,” O’Dea said.
“She’s the type of horse that you can’t press her too quickly, she needs to roll through her gears.
“When you ask her to quicken up to quickly, her head comes up and she doesn’t stretch out.
“She was disappointing the other day. I think it was probably a bit of trainer error there as well.
“We were three weeks between runs, staying at 1200m and we may have just had her on the fresh side.
“She was on the toe again in the yard today (Wednesday) but she was worse last start. So only the fortnight between runs and getting out to 1350m with a more genuine tempo allowed Jaden (Lloyd) to have her where she was comfortable.
“He was able to edge away from the inside and allow her to roll into it coming to the turn. It was good to see her really go on with it.”
O’Dea pointed out that an accident early in her career where she fell off a walker has put the filly behind in her education and she still has a lot of maturing mentally to come. She may now be tipped out for a spell to help her achieve that.
Horses To Follow
Race 1 – Cifrado is an obvious horse to follow out of Wednesday’s meeting. While visually impressive flogging his rivals by nearly five lengths, his sectionals support this. He clocked the quickest closing 800m, 400m and 200m times of the race. In fact, his last 200m was one of the quickest of the meeting and was a second quicker than any other horse in the race.
Race 5 – Kinetic recorded the fastest 1000m, 800m, 400m and 200m closing sectionals of the race. It was an impressive display from the Tony Gollan-trained mare and it being just her second run this preparation, she has a lot of improvement to come.
Race 6 – Paienbara once again rocketed home to get in the placings. He clocked the quickest last 200m of the race. He probably needs conditions to suit but if he gets on a big track now, he will go close to winning.
By Craig Sheppard
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