Trainer hopes her ‘pretty serious horse’ could deliver first Group 1

Desleigh Forster has some intriguing decisions to make with Apache Chase and one of them involves a potential Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap blueprint for the talented three-year-old.

Eagle Farm trainer Forster has always believed Apache Chase could be her first Group 1 winner and she was delighted to see the gelding make a one-act affair of the Listed Daybreak Lover (1400m) when leading throughout at Eagle Farm.

Forster will now take extra time to consult with jockey Jim Byrne about whether he thinks Apache Chase will run the 1600m of the Group 2 Queensland Guineas at Eagle Farm on May 1.

The Group 3 Fred Best Classic (1400m) at Eagle Farm on May 29 is in Forster’s longer-term thinking, as the winner of the Fred Best scores a free ticket into the Stradbroke.

“It’s been my hope he can win a Group 1 for me this horse, he’s a pretty serious horse,” Forster said.

It was Apache Chase’s first win since he powered away to win the Group 3 Vo Rogue Plate in early January and Forster is convinced he is on track to be a serious winter carnival player.

Steve O’Dea and Matt Hoysted filly Gotta Kiss, who ran a long last in the Daybreak Lover, bled from one nostril and must have a 1000m gallop in front of stewards before racing again.

Meanwhile, young Brisbane jockey Taylor Marshall committed to riding Master Jamie in the Stradbroke after the Rockhampton sprinter finished a promising third when first-up in the Listed Ascot Handicap.

Kris Lees galloper Zaniah ($21) came from last to score but Master Jamie fought well over the 1000m trip.

Master Jamie, trained by Graeme Green, collected a ticket into the Stradbroke when he won the $250,000 The Gateway at Eagle Farm in December.

“I was very happy with his run today over 1000m, he was probably too dour to be in the finish,” Green said.

“Taylor Marshall will ride him in the Stradbroke, I need a jockey who rides light because he is probably only going to get 52kg in a Stradbroke and that is no problem for Taylor.

“None of the southern riders wanted to commit for the Stradbroke, which is fair enough, but I wanted to lock someone in.”

UPHELD PROTEST SURPRISES TRAINER

The upheld protest at Eagle Farm was a contentious one with the trainer of the demoted first-past-the-post horse telling stewards “you could fit a Mack truck” between the horses where the promoted winner failed to take a run.

Mark Currie trained first-past-the-post Junction ($3.60) rolled in slightly on Tony Gollan runner-up Get Stuck In (Leah Kilner) who had been endeavouring to take a run between Epic Girl on the inside and Junction (Michael Rodd) on the outside in the last 150m.

Get Stuck In ($10) was then forced to the outside and made up significant ground to run the winner to a short-head with connections firing in a second versus first protest in the Open Handicap (1400m).

“You could drive a Mack truck through there,” Currie told stewards, about the gap between Junction and Epic Girl that Get Stuck In didn’t go through

However chief steward Peter Chadwick upheld the protest.

“Get Stuck in was laying in slightly, however Junction has rolled in resulting in Get Stuck In being carried onto the heels of Epic Girl, having to take hold and then having to come to the outside.

“The horse does make up considerable ground and bearing in mind the ground it cost, stewards believed Get Stuck In would have won the race without the interference.”

Originally published asBig things on horizon for Apache Chase

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