Gold Trail’s owners have travelled around the world to watch him race but will get to see him in their own back yard in January for the first time in more than five years.
Glenn and Lisa Morton live in Queensland where the globe travelling Group One winning sprinter began his career in 2006 under John Wallace at the Gold Coast.
He had one run for Wallace and was then transferred to Gary Portelli’s Sydney base at Warwick Farm but will return to the scene of his first start when he contests the Magic Millions Sprint in January.
“He has had a spell in Queensland and his owners live there so we thought it would be nice for him to race there,” Portelli said.
“The Magic Millions Sprint is over 1000 metres which suits and it’s a $200,000 race as well.”
Gold Trail won at his fourth and fifth starts for Portelli in early 2008 but gave the trainer little indication of what was to come until January of the following year when he strung together three Sydney metropolitan wins.
His preparation ended with a third in the Group One Galaxy after which the bar was raised.
Portelli and the Mortons travelled to New Zealand where they celebrated New Year’s Day of 2010 in style after Gold Trail won the Group One Railway Stakes.
With their appetite for travel whetted, the group went to Singapore in May where Gold Trail performed well for fourth in the KrisFlyer Sprint.
They extended the trip to Royal Ascot in June but Gold Trail was unplaced King’s Stand Stakes and came out of the race the worse for wear.
He had almost a year off battling a hind quarter injury and has had four starts since without running a place.
“He has spelled really well,” Portelli said.
“He raced a a bit flat last preparation but I think this break has done him good.”
Meanwhile, Portelli’s emerging star Somepin Anypin is in pre-training ahead of an autumn campaign aimed at the Doncaster.
A free wheeling front runner like Gold Trail, Somepin Anypin put three wins together during his spring campaign capped by the Group Three Hawkesbury Cup.
AAP TURF
