Gillian off to Flyer in return to track
TRAINER Gillian Heinrich has celebrated a full-time return to the racetrack with the impressive win of Fuji Flyer at the Gold Coast.
Heinrich has been one of Queensland’s top trainers for two decades with her biggest win coming in the 2010 Magic Millions 2YO Classic with Military Rose.
In recent years the Gold Coast-based trainer she has been receiving treatment for bowel cancer which has included some trips to consult European specialists.
She has continued training in a partnership with Ben Rogers that has produced plenty of winners.
Heinrich has been only an occasional visitor to race days but with a brighter health picture she has been back fulltime in the past week.
Sent out favourite, Fuji Flyer ($1.50) gave her the perfect comeback present with a 5¼-length win in the 3YO Colts and Geldings Maiden (900m) after a slow start.
The Sidereus gelding had won two recent trials and Heinrich thinks he can win in better class.
“I feel great and still walk every day so I am fit,” Heinrich said.
Jockey Jeff Lloyd, who won on Fuji Flyer, made it a winning double on Smartypy ($2.05) in the next race, the Maiden Plate (900m).
Smartypy was originally trained by Bjorn Baker in Sydney and was having her first start for Eagle Farm trainer Chris Munce.
“She only had to live up to her trackwork but she can get a bit hot on race days,” Munce said.
Former Victorian jockey Ryan Maloney, who has taken Lloyd’s place as No.1 rider for trainer Toby Edmonds, took his win tally to 11 since moving north on August 1 with a double.
He rode Edmonds’ I Am Impinge to score an easy win in a Class 3 (1400m) and later recorded an impressive victory on the Steve O’Deatrained Mullaghmore ($1.60).