Jockey Glen Boss and trainer Tony Sears turned back the clock three decades when Raging Pole won the Bruce McLachlan Classic at the Sunshine Coast.
Raging Pole ($15) beat Karaja ($2.70) by 1-1/2 lengths with a short half head to Jeweliana ($4) in a time of 61.06 seconds over the 1000m, which confirmed the track was very heavy.
The gelding was ridden at his last-start win by Michael Cahill, who missed the ride because he was on a family holiday.
However, Boss proved a more than worthy replacement and renewed a long association with Sears.
“Glen’s first city winner when he was an apprentice was for me when I was training for Col Richards. I can’t remember the horse or exactly when but it has to be 30 years or more,” Sears said.
“Raging Pole works with some good horses and more than holds his own, so I was confident today.
“We will look for another one of these races which carry the good QTIS bonus money.”
Boss confirmed he and Sears went back a long way.
“I’d say he (Sears) would be right, but don’t ask me the name of the horse. Raging Pole is a nice horse and he had no trouble on the wet track,” Boss said.
Boss will return to Singapore on Sunday to ride but intends basing himself in Queensland in the new season while riding at the Australian carnivals.
Raging Pole, who is by boom sire Better Than Ready, is raced by Bart Pilecki and is named after his father, Wallaby legend Stan Pilecki, who was nicknamed “The Pole”.
Stan Pilecki, who died in 2017, played 18 Tests and was the first Queenslander to play more than 100 rugby union games for his state in the 1970-80s.
“Dad was always ringing the Australian and Queensland rugby unions and raging about what they were doing wrong. That is how the horse got his name,” Bart Pilecki said.
The run of the race was Jeweliana who came from last on the home turn to be a fast-finishing third.
