Tony Gollan to win his eighth consecutive Brisbane trainers’ premiership

As he seals the deal this week to win his eighth consecutive Brisbane trainers’ premiership, Tony Gollan believes he has the equine arsenal to launch a serious attack on all of Australia’s top racing carnivals.

He has no current plans to move elsewhere, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been dreaming even bigger and better.

Gollan, 42, has revealed he has always had an interest in training in Hong Kong and has been in touch with officials there in the past to let them know he is keen.

With a one-year-old son and three-year-old daughter, a move away from Brisbane doesn’t currently appeal to the top trainer.

But he admits he is open to that in the future, or even a potential move interstate to take on the big training guns.

Gollan tried his hand with a satellite stable at Rosehill several years ago but that didn’t work out.

He would do things differently if he ever decided to push the go button for an interstate or overseas move in future.

“I have looked into Hong Kong but it is a changing world, and that is not on the cards at the moment, but I would never say never to any opportunity,” Gollan said.

“I have expressed interest in Hong Kong in the past, I don’t know how many times I’ve sent them emails.

“That wasn’t so much me chasing it, it was just putting my resume forward.

“Also, it might tick off a bucket list item if I had the opportunity to train in Sydney or Melbourne or a venue like that in the future.

“Have I thought about moving interstate? Yeah, I’ve thought about all sorts of things.

“But I have got no urge to go somewhere, just to try to secure 20 boxes, for the sake of a change.

“If I was to move interstate, this (Brisbane) would have to be my second operation.

“Moving interstate, to somewhere like Sydney, it is something I think about.

“But you couldn’t have it as your second-tier stable.”

Tony Gollan (left) after winning the Coolmore Classic with Krone at Rosehill in March. Picture: Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images

Those who have become accustomed to seeing Gollan as top of the pops in Brisbane should not expect change anytime soon.

The man who has trained more metropolitan winners this season than any other Australian trainer apart from Chris Waller certainly isn’t planning to up stumps in the foreseeable future.

Gollan, who hails from regional Toowoomba, is as driven and as ambitious as they come.

But he also knows where his bread is buttered and, trained from his Eagle Farm base, his horses have won close to $10m this racing season.

Back in the Group 1 club with the wins of Vega One (Kingsford-Smith Cup) and Krone (Coolmore Classic) this season, Gollan has been fortified to take his Eagle Farm stable to new heights.

“I don’t really feel like I have conquered everything here, I feel like there is more to achieve,” Gollan said.

“It has been a great season getting back and winning Group 1s again and I want to try to really keep myself in that carnival atmosphere all year around.

“I want to be running my horses at all the carnivals and there’s no reason I can’t do it from Brisbane.

“I’ve got great owner support from southern owners as well as local owners. I want to keep driving that.

“I’m comfortable that I can be competitive in the southern carnivals from here.

“I’m confident in my place in the market, even from here. I think I can achieve a lot of it from here.

“I also really want to make Queensland carnivals here my own, I’ve always been big on that.

“Some winters I’ve personally been really disappointed with, I really hadn’t had a good (winter) carnival for a while, but this winter has been great.

“So I was really proud of our winter carnival this year, it was a really big tick for my entire operation.

“It was also great to go back interstate again to have such a good (Sydney) autumn carnival as well.

“There’s heaps more to achieve, I am nowhere near finished yet.”

Tony Gollan celebrates with Jamie Kah after Vega One won the Kingsford-Smith Cup in May. Picture: Trackside PhotographySource:Supplied

Gollan runs a huge training operation and would “never say never” to exploring the option of having a training partner to spread the workload.

But he says he sees no reason to at the moment.

“I have explored lots of options but a (training) partnership is something that’s not on the agenda for me at the moment,” Gollan said.

“I’m only 42. It’s not an easy gig, but nothing is easy, and I certainly don’t feel burnt out.

“I’ve got a young family and Brisbane is a great area to bring our kids up.

“I can live two streets from my work and live in a great area.”

Two of Gollan’s stable stars, Vega One and emerging excitement machine Isotope, have had setbacks and are out of the spring carnival.

But Gollan still has a host of horses to deploy in the chase for big southern spring carnival cash.

Krone, Jonker, Baller, Sugar Boom and former Kiwi galloper Bonham are among those likely to be seen in the Sydney or Melbourne spring carnivals.

Originally published asGollan reveals big dreams after incredible season

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