Pat Webster is a firm subscriber to the theory that a debut winner has a harder task win at the next start for which his galloper Dr Farthing has ahead of him at Ipswich on Thursday.
Dr Farthing won at his first outing on home turf at Toowoomba on October 25, and the immediate plan for veteran trainer Webster was to give the son of talented sprinter Dirty Work a break.
That direction changed when the three-year-old gelding gave the proper indications that the initial idea could wait a little longer.
“We expected him to win first-up,” Webster said.
“He did the job well but be probably didn’t beat a lot in that race but he did beat them well.
“He has come one pretty well. I would have stuck him in the paddock if I’d thought he’d gone off but he’s come on well and worked well in the meantime, but he will go for a break tomorrow.”
Dr Farthing is one of two geldings and one three-year-old filly who won on debut to line up in the Barrier Reef Pools QTIS 3yo Benchmark 62 Handicap (1100m) on Ipswich’s midweek card and opened $2.50 favourite when betting opened on Wednesday and eased to $3 with Les Tilley aboard.
Webster decided against pitting Dr Farthing against Class 1 company due to the barrier draw at Doomben last Saturday in favour of the Ipswich option.
The Stuart Kendrick-trained Galactic Star also eased slightly from $3.20 to $3.40 while the debut winning filly, Mishani Aztec, has the task ahead at $151.
“He has got good speed so I imagine he’ll be in the first couple early,” Webster added of Dr Farthing.
“There is good speed in this race so he might not get it all his own way so we are happy to take the sit.
“It is a lot harder to win at your second start after a maiden, though, but it’ll be interesting.”
