PLAN HATCHED FOR HUGE WIN

TRAINER Lindsay Hatch, renowned as being a mentor for a crop of outstanding Queensland apprentice jockeys, thinks he can pinch some tantalising prizemoney on Saturday after making a 1000km trip north.

Hatch has ventured from his Toowoomba base to Mackay with a pair of runners in the $150,000 Mackay Cup, both of which were with Australia’s champion trainer Chris Waller earlier in their careers.

Djukon carries the Segenhoe colours and will be having his second start for Hatch, lining up as a $10 chance with 59kg on his back in the 2000m Cup.

One-time import Sayl has won two races for Hatch since joining his stable late last year, but Hatch thinks he should have won plenty more.

Hatch feels Sayl, a $6 chance, is flying and is a huge winning chance if he avoids the bad luck that has plagued him in recent times.

“Sayl should just about have won his last seven races, he’s just an unlucky horse,” Hatch said.

“He gets back in the run and he cops a check coming to the corner and it takes him another furlong to wind up. In Sayl’s last prep it was the first prep I had the horse and I won second-up and third-up with him and this is third-up Saturday.

“He is primed and ready to win. “Djukon’s run in Rockhampton they were all a bit disappointed with, but when you analyse it he got a long way back, covered a lot of ground, so it was a pass mark on a mad leaderbias track on the day.”

Hatch, who has had star apprentices including Baylee Nothdurft, Kyle Wilson-taylor and Angela Jones through his Toowoomba stable, had made the trek to Mackay to saddle up his Cup runners. He will be also keeping an eye on the weather in Brisbane where he thinks last-start winner Wham has a strong chance again, although he doesn’t want the Doomben track too heavy.

Wham won his last start at Doomben on July 9 in a race which was notable for runner-up rider Jaden Lloyd (Ocean Treaty) copping a five week ban by stewards for failing to ride his horse out to the line in a close finish.

“I thought Wham could win last start as he was flying leading into it,” Hatch said.

“If he gets the right run he will be in the finish for sure.”