Weight helps Volkoff
DOOMBEN
A FRIENDLY weight scale has given in-form Gold Coast mare Volkoff a chance to break her hoodoo over 1200m at Doomben today.
Co-trainer Bryan Guy has been adamant since taking over the former Perth mare from Gary Crispin that she can win at 1200m, a feat that has eluded her in seven other attempts.
Volkoff has won 12 races, all at 1000m or 1100m. She has run two seconds at 1200m including one at Listed level.
Guy is even more confident she can break the 1200m hoodoo after studying the weights for today’s Listed Legacy Classic which is a setweights plus penalties race.
“She does look nicely placed when you consider she was won two stakes races in Perth,” Guy said. “She gets in here with 56 kilograms and she would have got a lot more in a handicap.”
Volkoff was sent to the Gold Coast to be sold as a broodmare at the Magic Millions National Sale.
But when she failed to make her reserve price it was decided to send her to Guy and his son and training partner Daniel. They have done a great job with Volkoff who was won $104,000 since.
“She has really bloomed here and has won two of her past three starts and has run second at the other on a wet track,” Guy said.
“She ran a course record at her last win over 1050 metres which is a great effort for a seven-year-old mare.”
Guy believes Volkoff is ideally drawn in barrier seven and it should give her every chance to run out the distance.
“She should be able to get cover and have the last crack at them,” he said.
Toowoomba trainer Kevin Kemp is hoping jockey Luke Tarrant’s experience on Sold For Song can help end a long of outs for the mare today.
James Orman rode Sold For Song for a fast-finishing second at the Sunshine Coast two weeks but he has elected ride Niccanova in the Listed Recognition Stakes (1350m).
Kemp was quick to grab Tarrant who has been riding plenty of winners and rode her in the Group 1 Coolmore Classic at Rosehill last year.