Ace primed for big run

“HE’S all good. We’ve given him just the one run this time in,” Sears said.

“He went good at the Sunshine Coast and everything is going well with him. He had that race and then we gave him another jumpout in between.

“That’s what we normally do with him. He had a gallop on the course proper (on Tuesday) and went good.”

The old boy was strong to the line first-up at Caloundra when working home nicely in an open event, finishing less than a length behind King Klaus.

The winner of 11 races from 49 starts and just shy of $500,000 in prizemoney, Sears has indicated this will be Tycoon Ace’s last shot at the $150,000 Weetwood, and he’s hoping that he can add the feature to his coffers.

“This will be his last year. I’m not saying we’ll retire him after the Weetwood but this could be his last preparation,” said Tony Sears, pictured above with daughter Maddysen and another one of their horses, Special Thing.

“Last year, he had an interrupted preparation because of wet tracks.

“This time around we’ve totally targeted him for this race. He’ll be at his top.

“If he can get half a decent barrier, he’s got a light weight, won almost half a million and knows his way around the track.

“Kyle (Wilson-Taylor) rode him at work and will ride him on Saturday. He’s a good rider and we’re happy to have him on.

“We’ve had a lot of horses that are stable favourites, but he’s one that every year he comes up and wins a few.”

Team Sears is set for an assault on the feature races throughout the day, including filly Straight Alphas flying the flag for the stable in the Toowoomba Truck Spares Pat O’Shea Plate (1000m).

The juvenile was an impressive winner of her only barrier trial last week, and while Sears said it’s always hard to line up against unraced horses, his filly was in good order.

“She should be a very good chance,” he said.

“We’ve only given her the one trial and she won pretty easily. It’s hard to tell with Brisbane horses. You don’t know how to line those horses up.

“But ours has done very well and will race in blinkers this time. She’s a very fast filly that gets out of the barriers quickly and will put herself somewhere close to the lead.”

Sears rates the stable’s best chance of the day in the $100,000 Magic Millions Garden City Guineas (1625m), where Red Wave lines up.

“He’s owned by Maddysen and one of our good clients, and he’s one of our best chances all day,” he said.

“He’s still learning but he was unlucky not to win last start (at Eagle Farm). He’s a fairly decent horse.”