GREEN MOUNTAIN A KEEPER FOR TRAINER DUNN
TRAINER Matt Dunn hopes he keeps expensive gelding Green Mountain for a few more runs after an impressive win at Doomben.
Green Mountain ($3.40) was having his first start in 42 weeks but came away to beat Great Keppel ($4) by 2¼ lengths in a maiden race over 1350m yesterday.
The gelding, a half-brother to Group 1-winning mare Politeness, cost $500,000 at Inglis Easter Sales.
Green Mountain had one run at Newcastle before being sent to Dunn at Murwillumbah.
“He is obviously a nice horse and he had a trial and a jump-out to get him ready for 1350m first-up,” Dunn said.
“He is owned by Hong Kong interests so whether he ends up there I don’t know.
“He will probably need to get his rating up a bit so I should have him for a bit longer.”
Apprentice Jacob Grob had a happy return to riding when Winds Of Change
($5.50) scored a last-stride win yesterday.
Grob is from Queensland but had a stint in Victoria with trainer Mick Price where he rode 44 winners.
He returned to Queensland last year but suffered a neck injury in a fall at the Gold Coast on September 15 and hadn’t raced since.
“I am with Michael Costa at the Gold Coast but I hope to also ride work for Robert Heathcote (at Eagle Farm),” Grob said.
Winds of Change is trained by Robert Heathcote for his friend Neil Owen, who mixes training with owning a chemist shop on the Darling Downs.
Tony Gollan and Brad Stewart celebrated being named trainer and jockey of the summer carnival by producing Black Strata ($3.20) as a debut maiden winner.
A $110,000 buy from the Inglis sales, Black Strata had been given plenty of time before making his debut yesterday.