Junior’s claim to get Kitty purring
EAGLE Farm trainer Barry Baldwin has called on the services of promising apprentice Sheriden Tomlinson to help the chances of Kitty Damour breaking through for an overdue win at Aquis Park today.
Kitty Damour has been placed at three of her past four starts and Baldwin was happy to book Tomlinson who will use his 3kg claim to ease the mare’s impost after she was given the equal top weight of 58.5kg in the Class 4 Handicap (1200m).
The Monashee Mountain mare wasn’t far off the mark at her previous start when third in a Class 5 Handicap (1400m) last Saturday at the Gold Coast and Baldwin was impressed with Tomlinson after watching him ride Mishani Rebel to win the 2YO Class 1 Plate (900m).
“I watched that kid (Tomlinson) ride a winner last Saturday, the first winner at the Gold Coast, and he looked OK,” Baldwin said. “(Kitty Damour) races honest. I
think she’s having trouble with the weight even though she is a strong mare so I thought I would claim.”
“I thought she gets a chance to win there. She has won at the Gold Coast. That was her last win at the Gold Coast.”
Baldwin also has Motion Granted in the BenchMark 68 Handicap (1400m) but the eight-year-old is also an acceptor in the BenchMark 70 Handicap (1300m) at Eagle Farm today.
Motion Granted has drawn wide barriers in both races but Baldwin is leaning towards him joining his stablemate Kitty Damour at the Gold Coast.
Taylor Marshall has the mount on Motion Granted who has drawn gate nine in the 10-horse field.
“The draw is not going to help him (but) two runs back he ran a great race there and I think it is an ideal track for him as he has won a couple of races there,” Baldwin said.
Trainer Les Kelly and the training partnership of Trent and Toby Edmonds currently share the lead in the Gold Coast trainers premiership with 19 wins for the 2019-20 season and they will go head to head in a couple of races at the Aquis Park meeting today.
The Kelly-trained Think I’m Flying and the Edmondstrained Bucephalus will clash in the Class 1 Handicap (1300m) while dual acceptor Bucephalus and the Kellytrained Jackpot Jay could clash in the BenchMark 68 Handicap (1400m).