FLEM NOV 04 - TEMPLE OF BOOM THUNDERS DOWN FLEMINGTON STRAIGHT

By Taron Clarke | Sunday, November 7, 2010

Flemington, November 4, 2010.
Track - Slow 7. Rail - Out 6m. Penetrometer: 5.02.
Swisse Vitamins Stakes (Listed) Open Handicap - 1100m.
Time: 1-04.28. 600m Sectional: 34.91. (Carrying 55.5kg).
1 Temple Of Boom; 2 Secret Flyer; 3 First Command.
Margins: 0.8L x 0.2L

Toowoomba trainer Tony Gollan trained his first Flemington winner when Temple Of Boom produced a surging finish to score a strong win in the Listed Swisse Vitamins Stakes over 1100 metres.

The win gave Queensland trained horses consecutive wins in the event after a devastating victory in last year’s event by top Brisbane sprinter Burdekin Blues for trainer Barry Baldwin and heavyweight hoop Shane Scriven.

Temple Of Boom is raced by Eureka Stud’s Colin and Scott McAlpine and is by Piccolo out of Temple Spirit a Special Dane sired mare who herself won eight races.

Ridden by leading Sydney based jockey Corey Brown, Temple Of Boom came from fourth at the 400 metre marker to score a strong victory by three quarters of a length over Secret Flyer with a head back to top weight First Command in third.

Gollan will now take aim at the Magic Millions Carnival where the four-year-old gelding will target the $250,000 Magic Millions Sprint to be run on the Gold Coast on January 15.

A half-brother to up and coming three year old Spirit Of Boom, Temple Of Boom was purchased by Tony Gollan at the 2008 Magic Millions Yearling Sale for the moderate outlay of $40,000.

The win down the Flemington straight took the gelding’s stakes earning to $448,995 from only sixteen career starts.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Tony Gollan: “It's been a dream today.

“I knew this sort of race was here, but we wanted to get him back in Queensland racing well, fit and healthy first … and he did that last start up there and we thought we'd give a go.

“He's never run a bad race this horse and he's been racing against good three-year-olds in Queensland his whole career, so we came down her confident he'd race well.

“Everything worked out well. I looked at the weather before I left and I was probably the only one here that was hopeful it was going to be wet.

“I don't think Dad’s had a winner at Flemington, but he's trained plenty more than me … I know that.”

Jockey Corey Brown: “He was very strong late. He was a touch slow away and it was probably a little bit of a blessing, because even when he got near the front he was really stargazing and looking around.

“He's a tough little racehorse and you'd like to have a stable full of them.

“Avenue didn't take me into the race but my bloke, as soon as he got there he was probably stargazing anyway.

“ If he had something to chase he probably would have won a lot better, but still we got there first.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Temple Of Boom): 4.00 out to 6.00.
Favourite (Avenue): 4.00 out to 4.60 into 4.00. Finished ninth.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Orbit Express was a late withdrawal on veterinary advice at 7.50am and trainer Mr S McKinnon will submit a veterinary certificate in respect of it.

B Melham (Avenue) was of the opinion that the mare was not suited to the straight course today.

A post race veterinary examination of Avenue revealed no abnormalities.

D Nikolic (Grand Duels) reported that his mount did not feel right in its action and was inclined to lay in for a major part of the race.

A subsequent veterinary examination of Grand Duels revealed the gelding to be sore across the hindquarters.

A post race veterinary examination of Stryker revealed the horse to have sustained abrasions to its near-fore leg and also to be moderately lame in the near-fore leg.

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