Papa Jo’s good to go
AN injury-free Papa Jo will be searching for back-to-back wins when he steps out in the Attwood Marshall Lawyers Open Handicap (1200m) at Aquis Park on Saturday.
Papa Jo is coming off a last-start all-the-way win in a 1210m Benchmark 75 Handicap at Toowoomba on September 12 and trainer Lindsay Hatch said it was good to see him free in his action.
“He has had a few problems. We got him right and got him out to 1200m and he is going really good,” Hatch said.
Papa Jo has been a good money spinner for Toowoomba’s premier trainer with eight wins from 20 starts with earnings of just over $134,000.
Tegan Harrison will be having her first sit on Papa Jo on Saturday and will also be aboard Hatch’s other two runners, Kirra Lass in the Class 1 Handicap (900m) and Rhyme Time in the Benchmark 70 Handicap (1800m).
“I got three runners there and she is riding them all. She is riding well, Tegan, and I am happy to have her on,” Hatch said.
Harrison is currently sharing the lead in the Gold Coast jockeys’ premiership with Travis Wolfgram with nine wins for the season. The pair will go head-to-head with a full book of rides each on the eight-event program.
Hatch is keen on the chances of Kirra Lass, who is coming off a last-start second in an 800m Ipswich Benchmark 60 Handicap.
“She is a good filly and has done everything right and she will be hard to beat,” he said.
Hatch also accepted with last-start Toowoomba Maiden winner Avowal in the Class 1 Handicap but suggested he would stay at home and run in the 1050m Class 1 Handicap on Saturday Night.
Rhyme Time heads to the Gold Coast in great shape for the 1800m after finishing fourth at her last two starts over 1710m at Ipswich and over 1850m on her home track at Toowoomba.
“Rhyme Time has been racing terrific. She has developed into a good staying mare now and is probably going to be better next time in but she is in with a good chance,” Hatch said.
“She had had a run over 1700m at Ipswich and 1800m in Toowoomba and they were both really good runs.”
Hatch claimed his first Toowoomba trainers’ premiership for the racing season just completed and the stable has continued to churn out the winners since.
Hatch was able to claim his first win in Toowoomba’s premier sprint, the Weetwood Handicap, with Jadentom in September and the mare went on to win again at Doomben last Saturday. He also saddled up a winning treble two weeks ago at Toowoomba with Avowal, Spiritomo and Molly’s Rocking.
Harrison will team up with Brisbane’s premier trainer Tony Gollan when she swings aboard Miss Too Fly in the last race on the card, the 1200m Benchmark 62 Handicap.
She takes over from Baylee Nothdurft, who has been aboard Miss Too Fly for her last two starts at Ipswich for a win in an 1100m Fillies and Mares Benchmark 60 Handicap and a last-start eighth in a 1200m Class 2 Handicap.