Doomben trio boost holiday pay hopes

FRESHLY crowned Toowoomba trainers premiership winner Lindsay Hatch is enjoying a rare family getaway this week, meaning he won’t be at Doomben on Saturday for what is arguably the strongest hand he’s taken to the city.

Hatch went into the final meeting of the Toowoomba season leading by four wins and emerged at the end of the night eight ahead, capping his best season as a trainer, with 58 winners and more than $1 million in prizemoney.

It coincided with Baylee Nothdurft, the apprentice he mentored, taking out the Queensland metropolitan jockeys premiership.

“I am very proud of him. Not only what he’s achieved on the track but he’s developed into a cracking bloke,” he said.

Hatch sent Nothdurft to Brisbane trainer Tony Gollan last year to provide him with further opportunities. The pair go back a long way, as Hatch used to pre-train a lot of the Gollan horses.

He has dropped off the pretraining these days, preferring to concentrate on his own team of about 30 horses.

“I’m still good mates with Tony,” Hatch said.

“I had been in Melbourne working with the Snowdens and I came home to give my son (Thomas) better opportunities in rugby league.

“Tony set me up and helped me get going. I was able to build my own team up over four or five years and I’m pretty happy with where things are at the moment.”

The 24-7 racing cycle doesn’t allow trainers too many opportunities to get away but this week Hatch is on the road with wife Tracey and daughter Jade, heading north to Townsville, where he will start Kuttamurra Al in next week’s Cup.

“We haven’t been away for ages, so we decided to go up together,” Hatch said.

The trainer thinks he has three great chances on Saturday in the shape of Motomiss (Race 2), For My Annie (Race 6) and Papa Jo (Race 8). Combined. The trio have won 13 races from 27 starts.

“I’m not greedy. I’d be happy if one of them wins,” he said.