Snitch gets chance from inside barrier

Friday 14 February 2020, 1:08pm

Tony Gollan is the first to admit Snitch has had a disappointing campaign with one placing from five starts.

But Brisbane's leading trainer believes Snitch can turn his form around in Saturday's Family Raceday Open Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm.

The new look Eagle Farm track is developing a reputation of barrier positions being important regarding a horse's racing pattern rather than a blanket theory that inside is best.

From many starts the success rate of inside barriers versus outside barriers is about 50-50.

Gollan said in Snitch's case, an inside barrier seemed to be linked to his performance.

"The last time he drew barrier one he was fourth in the Listed Eye Liner Stakes," Gollan said.

Snitch has drawn barrier one on Saturday and Gollan feels that will be a major boost for the gelding.

"To put it plainly his campaign has been frustrating mainly due to the poor barriers he has drawn," Gollan said.

"We have had to ride him upside down a few times and in a couple of others he has got caught in the wrong part of the track.

"His best run this time was when he drew barrier three when third at Doomben. But even then he didn't have much luck.

"From barrier one we will be able to ride him handier and that should make the difference."

Weights for the Open Handicap were raised 2.5kg when original topweight Hallelujah Boy was not an acceptor and Snitch went from an original handicap of 54.5kg to 57kg.

"Baylee (Nothdurft) will claim 1.5kg so we are better off than a few others who went up in the weights," Gollan said.

Nothdurft has ridden Snitch once, last May, but Gollan feels he will suit the gelding.

"Baylee is leading the senior riders premiership and if he keeps at it he will go a long way in the sport," Gollan said.

Gollan has his seventh Brisbane premiership firmly in his grasp and will have another strong hand at Eagle Farm with nine acceptances.

Among his runners is promising three-year-old Ingear who he has dropped back from open three-year-olds to the Class Three Plate (1200m).

"The distance and weights suit and she deserves a win," Gollan said.

"She has been placed behind some handy young horses of late and this looks a bit easier."

Ingear has registered two recent placings over 1350 and 1400m in races won by the talented Baroda.

– AAP

Latest News

Prime Thoroughbreds - We have a Host of Leaders in our Team

Tuesday, 29 June 2021

Prime Thor­ough­bred’s cur­rent rac­ing team is putt­ing to­gether quite a re­cord. We have 22 hors­es that have raced in our team at pre­sent. Six­teen of th­ese are win­n­ers in­clud­ing the Stakes win­n­ing trio Ru­bisa­ki, Fituese and Xtreme­time with Miss Di­vine Em and Miss In Charge run­n­ing 4th in Stakes races. This sees a stakes win­n­er to win­n­er ra­tio of 18.75% with a stake’s per­formed to win­n­er ra­tio of 31.25%. Th­ese are ex­cep­tio­n­al fig­ures.   More »

Freedmans land maiden Group One win

Saturday, 27 February 2021

Un­der-rat­ed fil­ly For­bid­den Love has emerged as an au­tumn car­ni­val smokey with a bril­liant per­for­mance to win the Sur­round Stakes at Rand­wick.  More »

Capriccio completes Damian Lane treble

Saturday, 27 February 2021

In a big day for coun­try-trained hors­es, War­r­nam­bool fil­ly Capric­cio has tak­en out the In­glis Dash for Daniel Bow­man.  More »

More news headlines »