Apprentice triumphs on Dreams Aplenty
APPRENTICE Jag Guthmann-Chester has had to work hard to get his first metropolitan winner since his return from injury.
Guthmann-Chester was leading the Brisbane apprentices premiership on eight winners when he injured a leg in a fall at Doomben in October.
He resumed last month and landed his first winner on Same Old at a provincial meeting at the Gold Coast on December 30.
Yesterday, he rode a heady race to get Dreams Aplenty ($1.65) home by a short half head over Time To Torque ($3.40) in the Open Handicap (1350m) at the metropolitan meeting at Ipswich.
Dreams Aplenty is a noted leader but when he couldn’t get to the front, Guthmann-Chester tracked the leader Love And Lies.
He went to the front in the straight and had to fight hard to hold off Time To Torque.
The race was originally scheduled as provincial standard last Saturday but was called off because of heat and reprogrammed as metropolitan in the midweek slot.
Trainer John Zielke can hardly wait to get Dreams Aplenty, who won the Group 3 Gunsynd Stakes as a threeyear-old, back on a track with give in it.
“I was in the jockeys room last Saturday with the saddle for Dreams Aplenty when they called the meeting off because of the heat,” Zielke said.
“But I was pleased when they rescheduled it for today. I am aiming Dreams Aplenty at the Caloundra Cup over 1400m on Saturday week and this was a good lead-up.”
Zielke said he had booked Guthmann-Chester for Dreams Aplenty when the gelding was given 59kg.