Trainer Natalie McCall believes she will have to push on with Colour Charge to the Brisbane winter carnival after the gelding’s first stakes win on Saturday.
Colour Charge ($13) made it two wins from his past three starts when he beat favourite Beatniks ($3.40) by 1 3/4 lengths in the Listed Members’ Cup (1600m).
McCall, who won the 2014 Group One Stradbroke Handicap with River Lad, will run Colour Charge in another Listed race over 1800m at the Gold Coast in a fortnight.
“He is probably looking for the 1800m now and that race should suit. His owners were keen for him to race in the Rockhampton Cup carnival,” McCall said.
“But I think he might be getting up a bit in the ratings now. I think some of the lesser-feature 1600m races during the winter might be more to his liking.”
McCall has been gradually rebuilding her team after scaling back to help her ill father Ray McCall in recent years.
Beatniks’ jockey Jim Byrne said his mare was not suited by the muddling pace in the middle stages.
In the earlier Open Handicap (1200m), a return to a soft track helped Flamboyer pass $500,000 in prize money.
Flamboyer ($8.50) was in a mini slump, not having won since the Listed Glasshouse Mountains Sprint in July, but he went straight to the lead and was never headed.
“All he needed was the sting out of the track. When it rained overnight we couldn’t have been happier. We put blinkers back on him to sharpen him up coming back from 1350m to 1200,” trainer Kelly Doughty said.
Flamboyer was bred by Doughty’s husband Garry and scored his ninth win for $527,900 in prize money.
“Not bad for a horse who cost a $2000 service fee to sire Clang,” Doughty said.
Meanwhile, Toowoomba trainer Rex Lipp has the Group Two Queensland Guineas in mind for Our Beebee ($5.50) who won the Three-Year-Old Handicap (1000m).
The filly was having her first start since finishing third behind top galloper Winning Rupert in the Listed Gold Edition Stakes in December.
“It was only her third start today but I have no doubt she can run 1400m or 1600m,” Lipp said.
“She is by the sire Red Dazzler the same as my Group one-winning mare Tinto.”
The win continued the great run Lipp has enjoyed with the family of broodmare Royal Shiraz, a smart race mare who is now producing winners at stud.
