Gillian Heinrich is hoping her stable’s flat spot has reached an end and is looking forward to the start of the new racing season.
But first Heinrich has to get over the final meeting of the season at Doomben on Saturday when she saddles up four runners.
Heinrich can’t recall her last winner in the metropolitan area after deciding to cull her big stable by half in recent months.
“We had up to 60 horses in work at one stage and for me that was too big,” Heinrich said.
“We sold a few including Military Rose and Swiss Rose as broodmares and retired several of our bread and butter horses like Rasmussen, Ghetto Blaster, Tour Guide and Daedalus.
“Tour Guide is now a jumping horse and Daedalus is a show horse.
“When you lose those sorts of horses you have only a few class horses left in the stable until you bring on the babies.
“It’s been a terrible year for us and I told my staff I can’t wait for Monday when the new season starts.”
Heinrich believes rising three-year-old Internal Revenue is one of her better chances of ending her horror run.
Internal Revenue, who has topweight of 59.5 kilograms in the BDO Handicap (1200m), was the last winner she trained when the colt was successful at Ipswich on June 18.
The son of Exceed And Excel was subsequently runner-up to the Bryan Guy-trained Easy Successful in the Bruce McLachlan Classic (1200m) at Caloundra on July 2.
Heinrich believes Internal Revenue is one of her stable’s better performers but has no plans to head interstate with the sprinter.
“We were going to take him to Sydney for the Rosebud Preview but he got 57 kilos in a race we nominated him for and then it began raining,” Heinrich said.
“I spoke to Gerald Ryan about the weather and he said the tracks were a bog so there was no point going away.”
Heinrich has booked Jim Byrne to partner Internal Revenue in the absence of regular rider Damien Browne who is holidaying in Fiji.
Heinrich is also hopeful of a better showing from Sweepstaking in the Greg Grant Handicap (1200m) as well as Steel Dragon and Big Chance who clash in the MontroseAccess Charity Handicap (1200m).
“Sweepstaking is back to 1200 metres which is her right distance and is back in her right grade,” she said.
“The way she finishes off her races you’d think she wants further than 1200 metres but she just can’t go any further.
“Steel Dragon is a very nice horse who hasn’t had much luck and he’s drawn badly (16) while Big Chance is first-up in the same race.”
Big Chance, a Ric McMahon mount, has won only one race in his 10-start career but has been placed twice at Listed level in the Hampden Stakes and Doomben Slipper in May last year.
AAP TURF
