Trainer Michael Nolan hopes an older and stronger Gold Rating can provide apprentice Brooke Richardson with her first metropolitan winner at Doomben.
However, Nolan concedes the six-year-old’s task appears daunting after the grey received 62.5kg from the handicapper in Wednesday’s Montrose Access Handicap (1200m).
“It’s a very big weight but he’s got to run as I want to step him up to 1600-metre races eventually,” Nolan said.
“I’ve gone for Brooke because she can claim three kilos and there’s not many three-kilo claimers around.
“Brooke rides some trackwork for me and I think she has a big future and can make it in Brisbane like Priscilla Schmidt has done.
“If she can win a few races in town she’ll certainly kick a lot more goals.”
Gold Rating will be attempting a hat-trick of wins when the six-year-old grey has his first start in almost six months.
The son of Canadian Silver has won seven times from 24 starts but has been successful only once first-up.
That was last campaign when Gold Rating won over 1100-metres on his home track at Toowoomba on June 4.
He then came out and scored an impressive victory on Ipswich Cup day.
“His first-up win here at Toowoomba last campaign was a real shock,” Nolan said.
“I then took him to Ipswich and he won impressively again but we had to turn him out after that when he hurt a leg.
“I’m very happy with him now but he’ll probably get back in this with his big weight.
“I’ll be happy to see him running on strongly but it would be great if he could win for Brooke.”
Richardson, 17, is apprenticed to her father, Toowoomba trainer Brendan Richardson, and only made her metropolitan riding debut at Eagle Farm last month.
She began her indentures with her grandfather Clem Pollard, another Toowoomba trainer, and recently completed a three-month loan period with Todd Austin at Barcaldine in central Queensland.
Richardson had only been licensed for 14 months and had ridden 65 winners on Queensland country tracks before she made her city debut in October.
AAP TURF
