WEBSTER'S THREE PRONGED ATTACK IN THE WEETWOOD

By Graham Potter | Wednesday, September 23, 2026

Local trainer Pat Webster will come into the Listed Weetwood Handicap at Toowoomba on Saturday will all guns blazing as he sends three runners, Esjay, Restonica and Mean Approach, into battle in Toowoomba’s signature race.

And while the Weetwood is a different kettle of fish with its Listed status, Webster’s confidence will be buoyed by his stable’s recent hot run of form which has seen the trainer land no less than eight winners and five runner-up places from his twenty-two starters over the last month.

Esjay is a last start winner, having saluted in an Open Handicap over 1615m at Doomben on July 18.

The chestnut son of Rothesay tackled feature race company in all of his four starts prior to that win … including a shot at Group 1 glory in the Doomben Cup (in which he finished eighth but only 3.89 lengths behind Rothfire) … and a Group 2 challenge in the Moreton Cup (in which he again had to settle for eighth place, this time 3.44 lengths behind Uncommon James).

He also finished in a highly creditable third place in the Eye Liner when stepping back to Listed company … only being beaten by 0.64 lengths by Soothsayer, who would frank that form by going on to finish second in both the Group 3 Show County and the Group 2 Tramway at Randwick.

Restonica finished 1.50 lengths behind Esjay in the 1350m Eye Liner and then came out and won his next start in an Open Handicap over 1200m at Doomben on July 11. He has had one more run since then, finishing fourth in an Open Handicap, 1.50 lengths behind the winner, the eight-time winner Sir Artie, when stepping back out to the 1400m trip.

Mean Approach, who scored back-to-back wins in July, has been knocking at the door, having filled the runner-up spot in his last two starts, the last of those results coming two weeks ago in a BM78 Handicap over 1100m at Doomben behind the smart Tony Gollan trained Gram, who was winning for the sixth time in a row on that occasion.

So, all of the Webster trained runners will have their chance.

Angela Jones will ride Esjay. Ashley Butler will ride Restonica … both effectively replacing Jace McMurray who partnered Esjay and Restonica in their respective last wins.

Les Tilley, who has so often been the go-to man for Webster in the past, takes over from regular pilot Jai Williams on Mean Approach.

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