THE KING OF THE MOUNTAIN CROWN IS UP FOR GRABS

By Graham Potter | Friday, December 23, 2022

The inaugural running of Toowoomba’s new feature race, The King Of The Mountain, will provided a big bonanza New Year’s Eve celebration for those connections who ultimately take away the lion’s share of the $750 000 race purse when the race is contested on December 31.

While all will be partaking of some Christmas cheer before then, no doubt there will be a sense of anticipation in the back of all of their minds as the countdown for big race is about to enter its final week.

With the twelve slot holders now having finalised their choice of runners, the Tony and Maddysen Sears training partnership has emerged as one of four stables ... along with Mark Currie, Joshua King and Michael Nolan ... to have two horses involved in the King Of The Mountain contest and, in his usual understated manner, Tony Sears is quietly confident that he has a competitive representation in race.

Steady Ready, who caught attention early in his career when he followed up a 13.30 length trial win by saluting by 5.75 lengths in his race debut, had won two and finished second twice from his four starts when going into the Listed Gold Edition at Eagle Farm last Saturday ... where she came home in fourth place behind three smart ones in the form of the still undefeated End Assembly (who was completing a hat trick of wins), Golden Boom (who tasted defeat for the first time in three starts) and Exo lady (who is already a four-time winner).

“He (Steady Ready) was a little bit disappointing, but he pulled up a bit big, so he’ll improve a lot out of the run,” said Tony Sears.

“He is just a bit hard horse to get right. He is very solid. He needs a bit of racing.

“He probably was a bit vulnerable with that horse taking him on the other day. We expected him to get an easy lead, or just sit in behind that horse ... but when they went hammer and tong, you could expect him to be vulnerable.

“I had to start him. He definitely needed a run. I had no option but, having said that, I am happy with him going into the race.

“Yellow Brick ... he trialled in Brisbane on Tuesday, and he won that trial pretty nicely. We are more than happy with the way he is going.”

‘They are both in good nick, and they will both be very competitive.”

Yellow Brick has hardly put a foot wrong in his five-race career to date.

Like Steady Ready, he was also a winner on debut, and since then he has won three of his subsequent four starts to go into The king Of The mountain with an impressive four wins from five outings ... with those wins coming over distances ranging all the way from 1000m to 1600m.

For his part, Steady Ready has not won beyond 1050m.

Angela Jones will ride Steady Ready on the big night. Ben Thompson will be aboard Yellow Brick.

If you have got a ticket, you have got a chance. If you have got two tickets ...

Two tickets ... that is the hand that has been dealt to both the Sears camp and trainer Mark Currie, who are both based at Toowoomba looking to land that prestigious home-town win ... but they are certainly not alone in that quest as no less than nine of the twelve runners will be vying for the home town, King Of The Mountain bragging rights amidst a massive representation in the race on the part of the Toowoomba based trainers.

Ther is sure to be a few frreworks

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