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Forster hopes to end her Goldmarket drought with Chapter And Verse

11 March 2020

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By Glenn Davis

Trainer Desleigh Forster is hoping to claim her first Listed Goldmarket Handicap with talented sprinter Chapter And Verse at the Gold Coast on Saturday.

Forster went close to winning the past two Goldmarket Handicaps when Malvern Estate finished second to the Tony Gollan-trained Raido in 2018 before a similar placing behind Team Edmonds’ Tyzone last year.

Chapter And Verse hasn’t raced since finishing ninth to Scallopini in the Listed Sunshine Coast Cup on January 25.

However, the five-year-old showed he was primed for a strong first-up showing by winning a 1000-metre barrier trial at Eagle Farm last week.

The Gold Coast track is currently in the heavy range but Forster isn’t concerned with the state of the track.

“His last run at the Sunshine Coast was a bit ordinary and he was a bit flat,” Forster said.

“He can handle all types of tracks so that’s not a worry, but we won’t know until Saturday what the track will be like.”

Forster targeted last year’s Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap with Chapter And Verse but this year’s she’s in no hurry with the son of Rothesay.

“The Stradbroke is a long way off and I just want to get past Saturday’s race first,” she said.

Chapter And Verse failed to make the cut in last year’s Stradbroke after unplaced efforts in the Group 3 BRC Sprint at Doomben and Group 1 Kingsford-Smith Cup at Eagle Farm in May.

He subsequently was placed in two Stakes races in the Listed Eye Liner Stakes at Ipswich and Listed Glasshouse Handicap at the Sunshine Coast.

Chapter And Verse has a definite liking for the Gold Coast track winning the $1 million Magic Millions QTIS race last year before a close fourth to Outback Barbie in the same race in January this year.

Chapter And Verse has continued Forster’s great run with cheap horses.

The five-year-old was knocked down for $28,000 and has earned more than $1 million in prizemoney with six wins and ten placings from 22 starts.

Chapter And Verse is raced by a big syndicate which includes one of Forster's greatest supporters, former rails bookmaker Doug Forbes and well-known racing identity Mary Collier.

Collier is the former chairperson of the old Brisbane Turf Club and is now Racing Queensland’s Corporate Affairs and Policy Manager.

Both were also part-owners of Forster’s former star sprinter Adebisi who earned $876,000 in prizemoney with 12 wins and nine placings from 57 starts during his career.

Racing Queensland webnews   March 11