In an entrée to summer racing features, the summer carnival in Southeast Queensland begins on Saturday at Sunshine Coast and Tony Gollan’s four runners dominate the top of the market in the Swiss Ace Plate.
Lining up in the $125,000 feature is the stable’s recent acquisition Cannonball, black-type performer All That Pizzazz, consistent five-year-old and race favourite Golden Boom, and 2023 Swiss Ace winner Nettuno.
Gollan has always had high hopes for Nettuno and was readying for an exciting preparatoin with the son of I Am Invincible last summer but while running well another win took another nine months to materialise with a victory over 1000-metres in open company at Sunshine Coast on a heavy track in July.
“It is a good team to kick us off,” Gollan said.
“Nettuno can perform first-up and last start at Caulfield behind Recommendation, he just didn’t handle the track too well,” he added in reference to the third placing in the Group 3 The Heath (1100m) on August 31.
“He has a supreme record at Sunshine Coast over 1000-metre races – three wins in three and he and Golden Boom are definitely the top seeds.”
Gollan resisted gelding Nettuno in the lead-up to the last year’s summer, but mixed results since saw the change enacted during the horse’s break before the winter carnival.
Back to the Sunshine Coast, the distance and the likelihood of a rain affected track has Nettuno rated a $5 chance in betting across markets.
“From barrier one he maps beautifully and can lob in behind them and do like last year when Zoustyle was attacked up front, and he was there ready to come out and put them away. This wreaks of that happening again.”
Slightly edged in bookmakers markets at $4.60 by stablemate Golden Boom, his second placing to subsequent group one winner Mornington Glory at Moonee Valley in the Listed Carlyon Stakes (1000m) has his trainer keen to see this five-year-old be in the finish and add to his good record of five wins and six placings in 14 starts.
“The trip away to Melbourne has really brought him on and he’s stretching out like a nice horse,” he said.
Cannonball ($12) came to Gollan’s stable from Snowden Racing and has since been gelded after finishing last at Hawkesbury in a listed race in May while All That Pizzazz ($9.50) impressed him enough this week to start on Saturday.
“I thought his work in the jump out at Doomben on November 6 terrific and I thought his work on Tuesday was great but barrier 10 makes it harder,” Gollan said of All That Pizzaz.
