Papa Jo plan hatched
TRAINER Lindsay Hatch is quietly confident his in-form sprinter Papa Jo can stretch his winning run to four despite drawing a wide barrier at Aquis Park today.
Papa Jo is the winner of his past three starts, two at his home track at Toowoomba as well as a last-start victory at Eagle Farm.
All wins have been from the inside gate but today he has to jump from the outside barrier in the 13-horse field of the BenchMark 78 Handicap (900m).
The speedy four-year-old has led at his past two starts and Hatch knows he has enough gate speed to deal with the wide draw and expects him to go forward.
“He is a very good barrier horse and he flies the lids,” Hatch said.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he sat outside of something and had a reasonable run from the gate.
“It is not that bad from that start. He is a great barrier horse and he will begin brilliant but whether he can cross them or not, I wouldn’t be too concerned if he never, as long as he got into a good rhythm to the home turn.
“It is a straight run from that start more or less and then you hit the home turn.
“He has drawn well (in the past) and luck is a fortune.
“I suppose and this is probably a bit better field that he beat in town.
“You would rather be drawn in than out but sometimes things can go your way in a race like that because if you are drawn in and if you are half slow to go you can end up in all sorts of trouble.”
Papa Jo has had plenty of hoof problems in the past but now that Hatch him troublefree, the short-course specialist is racing in outstanding form.
The Drumbeats gelding has a combined winning margin of 7.25 lengths from his past three wins.
“He is flying, that little horse,” Hatch said.
“I had a lot of trouble with his feet last time but I have them a hundred per cent right and he is really going good.
“He has got a great record. He is a horse that has had a lot of problems but he has got none at the moment and I think he has a bit of scope.”
Gold Coast jockey Andrew Mallyon is the new rider for Papa Jo, replacing Brad Stewart who steered the gelding to a 2¾-length win in the 1000m BenchMark 70 Handicap at
Eagle Farm on March 21. Papa Jo will have plenty of company on his trip down the mountain with stablemates Manias and Bogey Man also making the journey to the Gold Coast.
Hatch will saddle up Manias in the Class 6 Plate (1200m) while Bogey Man will go around in the Benchmark 85 Handicap (1400m).
The Gold Coast’s leading trainers Toby and Trent Edmonds are left with 12 runners at today’s Aquis Park meeting following the early scratching of dual acceptor Tardis from the BenchMark 85 Handicap (1400m).