Swap suits Gollan’s plans
THE handicapper determined Baylee Nothdurft’s Stradbroke fate with top fancy Vega One allotted just 52kg, but the flip side means the state’s leading rider will be at full strength when he rides Isotope in the J.J. Atkins on the same day.
Nothdurft and Jim Byrne feature in a swap for today’s Group 2 Victory Stakes, with the apprentice switching to Outback Barbie and Byrne taking the Vega One ride after being booked for the mount in the Stradbroke.
Trainer Tony Gollan said it was an easy decision after Stradbroke weights came out.
“Baylee was going to try and ride 53kg if Vega One got that, but 52kg just ruled it out. That would have been three weeks of really intense wasting for him,” Gollan said.
“I want him strong for Isotope in the J.J. Atkins. I wasn’t prepared to let him even try.
“He is not designed to ride that weight. Jim could ride 53kg most weeks if he had to, so 52kg is OK for him.
“We then booked Mark Du Plessis for Outback Barbie at 51kg.”
Nothdurft has had a chequered history with Vega One, having missed the winning ride in The Gateway through suspension and then incurring a three-month suspension for his first-up ride on the horse.
“He’s been a hard luck story for me down the line,” he said. “I was going to ride him if he got 53kg or above. Tony and I spoke about it and thought I was better off not busting my gut to ride him, where I can be fit and well to ride (Isotope) in the other Group 1.
“Vega One is going super. Tony couldn’t have him any better, but I’m hoping to knock him off (today).
“Outback Barbie was really good last time too.”
The 21-year-old has ridden three Listed winners to date, but never a Group winner, so the next fortnight shapes as a potential watershed moment in his fledgling career, starting with Outback Barbie and Isotope (Champagne Stakes) today.
“(Isotope) is the best twoyear-old I’ve sat on and to be able to ride her in a Group 2 is a big thrill,” Nothdurft said.
“From the get-go we knew she was pretty smart, but they have to come out and prove it.
And she’s proven it. I think 1200m is going to suit her even better and I can’t wait to see her at 14000m. The way she relaxes in her races and her breeding, 1400m and even beyond in her three-year-old season looks within her capabilities.”
Nothdurft is still hopeful of picking up a Stradbroke ride, but his options are limited given there are going to be only a handful of horses within his weight range.