By Glenn Davis
The new father and son training partnership of Toby and Trent Edmonds will be aiming for its first metropolitan winner at Ipswich on Wednesday.
The Gold Coast-based Toby Edmonds finished second in last season’s Brisbane trainers’ premiership behind Tony Gollan before joining forces with son Trent in a new training partnership at the start of the season.
Trent Edmonds has been foreman for his father for seven years and recently took their former star mare Houtzen to England for three months.
“It was a great experience in England. It’s world class over there and hopefully I can go back one day if we get another good horse worthy of going over,” Trent Edmonds said.
Team Edmonds had no luck with its first starter, Awake The Stars, in last Thursday’s Coffs Harbour Cup before landing a double with Coolwedge and Shopping Paradise at Gatton last Friday.
They were also successful with Nick The Skip at the Gold Coast last Saturday but failed to win with four runners in their first attempt to land a metropolitan winner at Doomben the same day.
Team Edmonds has been dealt a bad hand in their attempt to win a city race the first time with several of their Ipswich runners fairing badly in the barrier draws.
However, Trent Edmonds remains hopeful the partnership can strike pay dirt and named debutant Battle Strike and Dream Master as the stable’s best hopes.
Battle Strike, a son of Shooting To Win, will make his debut in the Carlton Mid QTIS Three-Year-Old Maiden Handicap (1100m) while Dream Master runs in the TAB Class Five Handicap (1200m).
“Unfortunately, like a lot of our others they’ve drawn badly,” Edmonds said.
“Battle Strike is probably our best chance at Ipswich but he’s drawn 11 while Dream Master has 10.
“Dream Master is going well but bad draws seems to be the theme of the day for us.”
Dream Master is a five-times winner in 20 starts and is coming off a first-up second in Class Six grade at Grafton on July 11.
The son of Dream Ahead led most of the way but was nailed on the line by the John Shelton-trained Saxophone.
Battle Strike cost $100,000 as a yearling and has shown good form in barrier trials.
“He’s a sharp colt who has been trialing well. He’s had three trials and won two and only just got beaten in the other,” he said.
Racing Queensland webnews August 6