Gary Duncan veteran Goldsborough hunts hat-trick against Tony Gollan pair

The Australian

2 days ago

Gary 'Jack' Duncan only has 15 horses in work but he's ready to take on powerhouse stable Gollan Racing with his veteran gelding Goldsborough, who will be hunting a third consecutive victory on Saturday at Doomben.
Sunshine Coast trainer Duncan will go up against Tony Gollan's fancied pair Nettuno ($2.90) and All That Pizzazz ($6) in a 1200m Open Handicap on Mekka Raceday.
And then there's King Of The Mountain champion Steady Ready ($3.80), who has earned more than $1.1m in prizemoney with seven wins from 22 starts.
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But Duncan doesn't really see this as a David vs Goliath battle, and he will go to Doomben on Saturday on a forecast sunny winter's day brimming with confidence.
'It's not beyond him to win it tomorrow,' Duncan said on Friday about Goldsborough, who has triumphed in his past two races, both at Doomben with Winona Costin riding.
'He'll definitely race well because he's in good shape.
'Steady Ready will carry a bit of weight on his back (59.5kg with apprentice Cody Collis' 2kg claim) so that brings him back to the field a bit.
'But one for the battlers, that really doesn't bother me. If my horses are good enough then they'll beat them.'
Veteran gelding Goldsborough is chasing a third straight win at Doomben on Saturday. Picture: Trackside Photography
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With Costin unavailable due to her commitments at Rosehill on Saturday, apprentice Emily Lang will take the ride on eight-year-old Goldsborough ($4.80).
'He's had some wind operations, that's been his biggest setback,' Duncan said about the son of Headwater.
'You'd only get two or three runs out of him and the weight would drop off.
'He's a light-framed horse. But as he's getting older, the weight doesn't seem to drop off him, although he's still light if you know what I mean.'
Gold Coast trainers Tony and Maddy Sears have opted to put blinkers and a tongue tie on Steady Ready for the first time.
'Hopefully that gear change sharpens him up because he has been a little bit lazy lately in the concluding stages,' Collis said on Friday.
'I'm sure tomorrow we'll see the old Steady Ready that won the King Of The Mountain (at Toowoomba in March).'
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Meanwhile, Sydney trainer Michael Freedman said he was 'slowly but surely' becoming more settled at the Gold Coast satellite stable he recently took over from older brother and Hall Of Fame trainer Lee.
However, the wet weather in Sydney has played havoc with Freedman's spring carnival plans.
'I might have to send a few of these carnival horses up there (to southeast Queensland) to get runs into them, the way it's looking,' he said on Friday.
Freedman has just the one runner on Saturday at Doomben where promising filly Idyllic Affair will compete in a 3YO Handicap (1350m) as the $3 favourite.
'She's a lovely staying type of filly and she had a pretty soft trial on Tuesday (at the Gold Coast) and looked to do it pretty nicely,' he said.
'It's a good option for her first-up and I'm hoping she can continue to improve as she gets out in distance, as she's bred to do.'