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Raido gives Gollan his third Goldmarket

17 March 2018

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By Glenn Davis

Trainer Tony Gollan continued his love affair with the Listed Goldmarket Handicap with his third win in the Gold Coast feature on Saturday.

Ridden by Matt McGillivray, Raido produced a stunning finish to down Malvern Estate by a head with Aqua Vite, a short head away, third, in the 1200-metre sprint.

It was the second feature win for McGillivray who won the QTIS Two-Year-Old Jewel on the Chris Munce-trained Boomsara.

Gollan has won the Goldmarket Handicap twice previously with Spirit Of Boom in 2012 and Gundy Son in 2015.

Raido was originally trained by Kris Lees at Newcastle before he was sent to Gollan after failing at Rosehill in June last year.

“He came to us in good order from Kris Lees but his form was awful,” Gollan said.

“I changed a few things around with him and put a tongue-tie on and took the blinkers off and it seems to have made the difference.”

Gollan wasn’t confident of Raido’s chances after he finished fifth on a slow track at Doomben two weeks ago.

“I didn’t think he was well placed with his rating in this race but we threw caution to the wind and had a go,” he said.

Gollan is now likely to aim Raido for the Listed Weetwood Handicap (1200m) at Toowoomba next month.

“It’s my old home track and I’ve never won the Weetwood,” he said.

“I’ve run second a couple of times in the Weetwood and it’s a race I want to win.”

Trainer Steve O’dea and Aquis Farm were back in the city winning list when Doubt Defying completed a hat-trick of wins in the Gold Coast Stakes (1800m).

Doubt Defying made it six wins from 14 starts when he kicked away in the straight to down Glendara by 3-1/4 lengths.

Stablemate Captain Hussey filled the minor placing, a further 1-3/4 lengths back.

Doubt Defying’s win was the third winner on the day for leading jockey Jeff Lloyd who earlier was successful aboard Mediterranean in the Class 3 Plate and Char Char in the Benchmark 70 Handicap.

Lloyd is a runaway leader again in the Brisbane jockeys’ premiership but has hinted retirement is on the horizon at the end of the season.

Lloyd produced another superb ride on the four-year-old who was caught three wide off his wide gate in the middle stages before he crossed to take a perfect trail behind the leaders.

O’dea’s stable foreman Matt Hoysted said it was uncertain if Doubt Defying would head to the Toowoomba Cup next month or be reserved for the Brisbane winter carnival.

Racing Queensland webnews       March 17