NOLAN DOMINATES AT TOOWOOMBA

By Graham Potter | Saturday, May 1, 2010

Between one o’clock and a quarter to three on Friday afternoon, four races (race numbers two to five) were contested at the Clifford Park racetrack at Toowoomba.

Twenty-nine trainers sent out thirty-eight runners in search of glory over this four race period. For twenty-eight of them it must have seemed they as if they were firing blanks against a well armed opponent, who comprehensively outgunned his rivals on his way to having a field day.

For trainer Michael Nolan, who saddled four, straight, race-to-race winners, it was a time of complete domination ... one hundred plus minutes where everything he touched turned to gold and the run of results eventually brought a well-satisfied smile to the face of a man who sets high standards for himself.

For three consecutive races Nolan had to excuse himself from the invite to a post-race celebratory drink. “I’ve got to saddle up another horse,” was his reply ... and off he would go to the stable area to emerge with another winner.

First it was Ghostinthedarkness who scored his second win in his fifth start. Ibethecan followed scoring an overdue Maiden win. Istaar was next. She also was scoring for the first time as was Tycoon is In, who was produced first-up at short odds in only her third career start to duly complete the rout.

No Nolan runner won by more than two lengths, yet all were entirely convincing in the way they went about their business. All four winners were never in danger of defeat, each justifying the support they received in the betting market. Ibethecan at $3.50 was the longest priced Nolan winner.

While Nolan completed a shut-out of other trainers during this period, his runners spread a little more joy the joy in the jockey ranks where the winning rides were shared amongst three jockeys.

Apprentice Norifumi Yamada brought home a double winning aboard Ibethecan and Tycoon Is In. Kenji Yoshida partnered Ghostinthedarkness while Amy Taylor did the honours when guiding Istaar to victory.

Nolan and Yamada had one last go at increasing their tally in the last race on the card but Emmertt had to settle for a shared fourth placing (the colt dead-heated with beautiful Nicola in a race won by the Rex Lipp trained Retrospect).

Retrospect was ridden by Chris Maund who, earlier in the day had safely piloted Tycoon Tattoo, the shortest priced winner on the day at $1.31, to a comfortable victory. Tycoon Tattoo is one for the notebook. He was winning for the second successive time here after scoring well in town in his previous start. He has caught the eye on both occasions and his record of four wins from six starts suggests he could just be warming up.

Maund’s double meant he shared the day’s riding honours with Yamada.

Jockey Phillip Wolfgram added another winner to his tally when he scored aboard the Tracey Wolfgram trained Rem’e’can in the opening event on the card. This success took Phillip Wolfgram’s total number of winners for the season at Toowoomba to thirty-six, just four winners behind log-leader Adam Best. Rem’e’can’s winning margin of 2.80 lengths was the biggest winning margin of the day.

As for the closest finish of the day, that belonged to the spirited three-way battle between Siong Tee, Lezant and Mr Mayfair. Jackie Crompton trained horses are almost rubber-stamped with a guarantee that, if they get a sniff of victory, you can be sure they will be willing enough to tough it out and they give their best all the way to the line.

Siong Tee is no exception and the way he rallied under immense pressure to cling to a narrow advantage under a determined ride from Carl Spry underlined that commitment.

Five favourites won over the eight races. One second favourite triumphed while the remaining two races were won by $8.00 chances.

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