Manaya showed what she could do back on a firm track at Doomben
Trainer Michael Costa’s decision to split Manaya and Brooklyn Storm has given jockey Scott Galloway a chance for a rare Saturday metropolitan double.
Galloway has been a fixture in Queensland racing for decades and has ridden more than 1300 winners including 24 in stakes races.
He was a regular rider for the John Hawkes-Ingham brothers Brisbane satellite stable in the 1990s and early 2000s and won the 2003 Queensland Sires’ Produce Stakes on Ambulance Woodlands.
In recent years he has been among the leading riders on the Gold Coast and only occasionally goes to Brisbane on Saturdays.
But he has made the trip up the highway twice in recent times to win on Manaya and Brooklyn Storm.
Costa entered both horses for the Listed Keith Noud Quality (1200m) at Doomben on Saturday but elected to split them.
Brooklyn Storm will run in the Keith Noud and Manaya in a Class 6 over 1350m.
“Michael is a trainer on the up and is starting to build up a very strong team. He works very hard with troubled horses and is getting a very good reputation,” Galloway said.
Costa, who was the original trainer of Golden Slipper winner She Will Reign before moving to the Gold Coast last year, has one of the best strike rates in Queensland.
Manaya, a half sister to top mare Hot Danish, won only her second race when she scored at Doomben recently.
“She had been dogged by wet tracks for most her career and she showed what she could do back on a firm track at Doomben,” Costa said.
“Brooklyn Storm was originally with Bjorn Baker and he has been consistent since joining us.”
Brooklyn Storm is backing up seven days after winning a 1200m-benchmark race at Doomben.
