A horse Tony Gollan believes is over the odds will attempt to land the Queensland trainer a Flemington Group One win he craves in Saturday’s Newmarket Handicap.
Gollan will start Spirit Of Boom in the famous 1200m sprint on the back of a fast-finishing first-up third in the Oakleigh Plate.
He was rated a $31 chance after the final field of 14 was declared on Wednesday but Gollan says there’s no reason the five-year-old can’t be fighting out the finish.
Spirit Of Boom is one of nine interstate-trained horses in the $1 million Newmarket but it’s the local Moment Of Change, who has the strong form of a last-start second to Black Caviar in the Lightning Stakes, who holds favouritism.
“I’ve been lucky to train a few winners at Flemington but a Group One win there would be awesome. It’s something you dream of,” Gollan said.
Gollan has experienced Group Two, Group Three and Listed race success at Flemington courtesy of Spirit Of Boom’s brother Temple Of Boom, but he has come up short with his Group One runners at the track.
Spirit Of Boom placed in the Yellowglen Stakes, Gilgai Stakes and Bobbie Lewis Quality at Flemington in the spring but was out of the placings in the Patinack Farm Classic.
He has been targeted at the Oakleigh Plate and Newmarket in search of a breakthrough Group One win.
Gollan said the stewards’ report from the Oakleigh Plate told the story of his galloper’s third in a dramatic race which lost favourite Barakey when he was scratched at the barriers.
“He got a little squeeze at the start so he got back further than we wanted to,” Gollan said.
“There wasn’t as much speed as we expected and he didn’t get a lot of room until the last furlong, but he finished off really well.
“Providing he gets a bit better luck and gets a clear run in the last 300 metres I think he’ll run well.”
Spirit Of Boom has drawn barrier six with Moment Of Change alongside him in seven.
The host of interstate hopefuls include Perth Group One winners Luckgray and Barakey who’ll start alongside each other in barriers 14 and 13 respectively.
