SPEED MACHINE LEARNS TO CHASE
HE has already conquered the almighty Ayrton and now in an ominous warning to his rivals, jockey Jim Byrne says Apache Chase has added some strings to his bow as he returns to tackle the Weetwood Handicap at Toowoomba on Saturday. The Desleigh Forstertrained speed machine was the first horse to topple Ayrton, leading all the way in the Group 3 Fred Best Classic (1400m) to book his ticket into the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap, with Byrne saying the testing assignment came at the end of a tough campaign. Getting in with the featherweight of 49.5kg, Apache Chase was heavily backed in the Stradbroke but was battered from pillar to post leading the field into the straight before raising the white flag. While it was his blinding speed which made him formidable, a recent trial suggests the four-year-old has returned with some added maturity. “We rode him a little bit more conservative in his trial, we tried that last prep and he just wasn’t ready to do it,” Byrne said.
“He was relaxing well enough but he wasn’t ready to really switch down which he did in his trial the other day. “In the Stradbroke, they hammered him from start to finish. When I finally got him switched down, sure enough another one came up around us.
“It doesn’t matter what pace they’ve got, if they’re working the whole way it’s going to be hard.” A $50,000 bargain buy, Apache Chase has gone on to build a five-win record from 14 starts along with $700,000 in the bank.
With Forster harbouring Golden Eagle dreams for the stable star, Byrne says the son of Better Than Ready’s recent developments have come at a good time.
“I honestly think to make a decent horse, you have to have many strings to your bow and he is the sort of horse where previously we had him close but he is more mature now so it sets us in good stead,” Byrne said.
“I think he’s a more mature horse now, without a doubt he has the ability, it is just a matter of harnessing that. I think the horse will be a lot better this time in.”
With a perfect barrier three at his disposal in the Weetwood, Byrne is set to have a plethora of options when they jump in the 1200m scamper.
“We know the horse can run time but my first thoughts are if they want to go quick, we can take a sit,” he said.
Apache Chase is one of seven rides for Byrne on the day who has enjoyed Weetwood success in the past, last winning in 2002 aboard Ceffyl.
Meanwhile, the Weetwood Handicap is the itch champion trainer Tony Gollan just can’t seem to scratch.
Raised in Toowoomba, Gollan has been trying to win the time-honoured sprint for as long as he can remember
but has never had the right horse for the tricky track.
Even Gollan’s late father Darryl could only manage to run second in the race, something Tony has matched numerous times since.
Saddling up a team of four in the race on Saturday, Gollan says Toowoomba is a “locals track,” something he can no longer lay claim to be after making the move to Brisbane to kickstart his training career.
“I have been going to the race my whole life, I remember going to them as a kid and it is the one race I really want to win,” he said.
“If you’re from Toowoomba, you want to win a Weetwood.
“There are Stradbrokes – and I want to win that too – but for a country sprint race, the Weetwood is the race but I haven’t been able to.
“It’s a race that has eluded me, it is one of those sorts of sprints, it is a hard race to win.
“It is a big advantage to be a local but I can’t call myself a local anymore – Toowoomba has always been like that, a horses for courses track.”
While Gollan has more runners in the race than any other trainer, he concedes Tambo’s Mate, Snitch, Macewen and Royal Hale are just “chances,” in the $150,000 feature.
This year, local trainers Mark Currie, Matt Kropp, Tony and Maddy Sears, Lindsay Hatch and Rex Lipp all have hopes in the race.