NOLAN TARGETS IPSWICH CUP FOR PALACE LOVER

By Graham Potter | Saturday, May 2, 2009

Gold Coast - Class 6 Handicap - 1400m.Time: 1-22.06. Track: Good 3. Rail: True.
1 Palace Lover; 2 Worth Doing; 3 Silvern.

Palace Lover never left the rail in chasing down his seventh career victory in twenty-nine starts in the second race at the Gold Coast on Prime Minister’s Cup day.

The gelding was perfectly positioned just off the speed until turning into the home straight. At that time apprentice jockey Brent Evans had to make a quick decision. He momentarily flirted with the idea of swinging out across heels, but, with three runners side by side in front of him, that would have meant losing too much ground. So Evans decided to pursue the inside run. The gap, hard against the rail, was narrow, but it was there to be taken if both horse and rider were brave enough. They were. Slowly but surely, the duo eased themselves through and then extended well to the line to claim the decision. Worth Doing was second. Silvern finished third.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Michael Nolan: “His run first-up was very good. We came down here today and we were reasonably confident. He had form around all of the horses that were sort of favourite. He just had to improve a bit on his first-up run – and he has. There were no issues with him. We just gave him a long spell (between the end of November and the middle of April).

“We just happy to win these on the way through. He is just a thinking rider Brent (Evans). He hunted him forward, then there was pace on so he took a sit. The Ipswich Cup is his goal. It has always been his goal this time in. The Toowoomba Cup is in July this year. Those are his major two goals. His mother (‘tis Love) won a Toowoomba Cup. I trained her. She’s was a good, handy mare.”

Apprentice jockey Brent Evans (reporting back to Michael Nolan): “I just went to take a sit. He just relaxed under me and when I went for him, he went and I got that run up the inside. I was always sweating on it, but he just kept on grinding.”

Michael Nolan: “I didn’t think you were going to get there.”

Brent Evans: “I think the last bit he really dug deep.”