By Glenn Davis
Rex Lipp is hopeful his new training venture with Nicholas Hahn can land its first metropolitan winner when Simply Fly starts at Eagle Farm on Tuesday.
Simply Fly - a Mark Du Plessis mount - steps out for the second time this campaign in the Open Quality Handicap over 1000 metres.
The son of Spirit Of Boom produced an eye-catching performance first-up when second to the Tony Gollan-trained Le Palmier over 1000 metres at Doomben on October 16.
It was his first run since failing behind Desleigh Forster’s Apache Chase in the Group 3 Fred Best Classic at Eagle Farm in May.
Lipp was delighted with the four-year-old’s first-up performance and is pressing ahead with plans to run in next month’s Group 3 George Moore Stakes over 1200 metres at Eagle Farm.
Simply Fly will then aim for $250,000 The Gateway over 1400 metres at Doomben the following week which is a ballot free race for next year’s Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm.
“He was being aimed at the Stradbroke this year but he was at the end of his campaign by the time he ran in the Fred Best,” Lipp said.
“I was very happy with his first-up run considering he over-raced in the early stages.
“He would have finished a lot closer had he settled better.”