Tony Gollan was relieved to see Wollombi make a winning debut for the stable at Ipswich and is now looking forward to giving the mare the chance to build on her record in this Saturday’s Glasshouse Handicap.
The Extreme Choice four-year-old will chase back-to-back Listed wins in the $300,000 event over 1400 metres at the Sunshine Coast.
The June 22 Gai Waterhouse Classic was Wollombi’s first start in the Yulong green and white after the Victorian operation paid $500,000 for her at the National Broodmare Sale and Gollan is hopeful it was the first of many wins for the stable.
“To get a mare like her, who Yulong paid a bit of money for, and to get the job done straight away was good and they have indicated they want to go another season with her, which is good for us,” Gollan said.
“We’ll get through the Glasshouse first and then we’ll have a chat about what others plans there are.
“I’ve got a bit of an idea on what I would like to do, but with Yulong it’s a big team effort, so we’ll have a chat about it post-Glasshouse.”
Wollombi, who was formerly trained by Peter and Paul Snowden and won last year’s Group 3 The Vanity (1400m) at Flemington, will take on the likes of The Inevitable, Yellow Brick, Wategos and At Witz End in the feature sprint on the final day of the Queensland Winter Carnival.
It is a step up from the 1200m Gai Waterhouse Classic, but Gollan is confident she will take the necessary improvement from that event, in which she came from last mid-race.
“We haven’t had her all that long, but the improvement I’d seen in her in two weeks leading into the Gai Waterhouse was pretty good,” Gollan said.
“I thought on the fitness score I was just about there, I wasn’t 100 percent sure, but she did really well and she was the only horse to win like she did all day.
“It was a good win, she’s come through it really well, she looks better and the bigger track you would think would suit her better second-up with what the Gai Waterhouse did.”
