Dad after victory hug
AS a new father, Tony Gollan has more perspective on winning and losing big races nowadays.
But he dearly hopes he gets to give baby daughter Jamieson a celebratory hug tomorrow afternoon and is not on the receiving end of a consolation one.
Gollan, who has broken premiership records in Queensland, says fatherhood has been “the best thing that’s happened to me” and regardless of how Ef Troop and Outback Barbie run on the Gold Coast tomorrow, Jamieson and wife Jane will put a smile on his face at the end of the day.
“It takes your mind off things if you’ve had an ordinary day,” he says of being a dad.
“But I hope I don’t have to worry about that ( tomorrow). Hopefully I don’t have to find my daughter after the last to make me feel better if they run awful.
“Hopefully I’m giving her a cuddle because I’ve just won.”
Gollan saddles Ef Troop in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic, along with Outback Barbie, who he expects to run a lot better than her $ 19 market price suggests.
Ef Troop is regarded as potentially the best two- yearold to come out of Queensland for several years.
His last- start rating sent many experts scurrying to the record books to find a suitable comparison.
He and Outback Barbie won stakes races four weeks ago at Doomben, giving the trainer one of his most memorable days ever, as they are both by his former dual Group 1 winner Spirit Of Boom.
“To get Spirit’s first winner and then for him to be his first stakes winner and Outback Barbie his second, I was pretty proud of that,” he said.
For Gollan, it has seemed like a long time since he’s had a horse good enough to be considered a legitimate topliner on a national scale.
But he is wary of putting a “best yet” tag on Ef Troop, but is happy to draw comparisons with other horses to the same stage.
“His father is the best horse I’ve had because he won two Group 1s. I’m not going to say ( Ef Troop) is potentially the best because who knows what’s going to happen?” Gollan said.
“What I can say is that to this point in time of his career, I’ve never had a horse this good this early in a twoyear- old season.”