THE SUNSHINE COAST NEWSPAPER COLUMN - TRAINERS' PREMIERSHIP WILL GO RIGHT DOWN TO THE WIRE

By Graham Potter | Sunday, July 29, 2012

The Sunshine Coast Trainers’ Premiership will go right down to the wire when the final meeting of the season takes place at Corbould Park today.

Trainers will tell you they don’t race for premierships. Jason McLachlan likes to say that premierships don’t pay the bills. Len Treloar seems to have a philosophy that if it happens, it happens … but don’t let either of those casual responses fool you.

While it is true that winning a premiership is not the most important goal in a stable’s season, the prestige that comes with it is worth a degree of satisfaction that few trainers would turn down if they get close enough to grasp the opportunity.

McLachlan and Treloar go into today’s meeting deadlocked together at the top of the ladder with twenty-three wins apiece.

For McLachlan, gaining yet another Sunshine Coast Premiership in the family name would continue the winning dynasty created by his late father Bruce, who all but made the title his own for a number of seasons before his death. Jason has kept the McLachlan name in top spot since then and there is no doubt keeping it there would give him a great deal of pleasure.

For Treloar, taking out a premiership in his first full season at the Sunshine Coast since relocating from Singapore would make a statement of its own. It would underline how far he has come since virtually starting from scratch at the coast. Treloar must be pleasantly surprised at how quickly he has emerged as a premiership contender and, if he were to complete the job in a photo-finish on the final day of the season, the barometer monitoring his satisfaction will certainly rise to a new level.

So, make no mistake. It is game on!

These two main combatants will still be in the dressing room while the first three races take place. Treloar will emerge for the fourth race where he saddles Tigerlicious. McLachlan has Vacant Girl in the same race. They then both sit out race five.

In race six Treloar loads the dice by sending out three runners, Triumphant One, Golden Palms and Suite Heavens. McLachlan has his hopes stacked on a single runner, Rusty Trawler, in same race.

Treloar is absent in both race seven and race eight and this time it is McLachlan who is firing from both barrels. In race seven he is represented by Roselon and Lady Fleming and De Bois and Johnnieontherocks race for stable glory in race eight. That makes four unanswered blows thrown by McLachlan. Just how effective will they be?

The Premiership could well have been decided by this stage, or even earlier if one stable went on a winning roll, but just in case the result is still up for grabs, Treloar has kept one ace up his sleeve. For Mia will have the last shot for the stable in race nine.

Whatever the outcome, congratulations are due to both Jason McLachlan and Len Treloar for the success they have achieved this season … and for giving us one last, gripping final scene before the curtain comes down on the 2011/12 season.

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