Weight advantage gives Walsh added confidence with Age Of Innocence

By Glenn Davis

Young trainer Nick Walsh is hoping a massive weight advantage in favour of his smart sprinter Age Of Innocence will end rival Mocial Chief’s winning sequence at Rockhampton on Tuesday.

The pair clash in a hot field in the Open Handicap over 1300 metres, which also marks the Central Queensland debut of former Brisbane sprinter Guntantes, who is now with the Ricky Vale stable.

Age Of Innocence has been in sparkling form this campaign with three wins and two seconds from six starts and will carry only 52kgs with the claim for apprentice Tahlia Fenlon.

Mocial Chief has 63kgs and is aiming to stretch his winning sequence to four.

Walsh bought Age Of Innocence for $22,000 from Melbourne trainer Lloyd Kennewell when she was still a maiden and she has now won six races for the Rockhampton trainer.

“She had pretty good form around the Geelong area and she’s well bred,” Walsh said.

“She ticked every box when we bought her and she’s done a great job winning six times for us now.”

Age Of Innocence is coming off a last start second when nosed out by the Adrian Coome-trained King’s County in a 1400 metre Class 6 at Callaghan Park on December 16.

“She’s only a little mare and she sat outside the leader last time carrying 57kgs while the winner got the run of the race,” Walsh said.

“She was entitled to get beaten that day.

“I think she’s a very good chance from her good gate but had she drawn sticky I would have been worried.”

Walsh rates Mocial Chief as the main threat but believes there are several chances.

“I think my mare will run very well with an 11kgs pull in the weights but Mocial Chief is still the danger," he said.

Mocial Chief will be ridden by heavy weight jockey Ashley Butler, who was aboard the five-year-old in two of his last three wins, including his latest victory over Master Jamie at Callaghan Park on December 29.

Walsh will saddle up two other starters on the day and rates Highground in the Class 2 Handicap over 1200 metres as his next best chance.

“High Ground will go very well and it looks a two horse race with Clint Taylor’s smart runner Kick On Command,” Taylor said.

Kick On Command had won two of his three starts but hasn’t raced since winning over 1200 metres at Callaghan Park in August.

“My horse is second up and has improved on his first up run but he does meet a pretty smart one from Clint Taylor’s stable,” Taylor said.

“Clinton normally has his horses spot on first up but they’ll know mine is there."

Walsh has only been training a little over two years and has an excellent season strike rate of 51.6 per cent with 16 wins from 31 starters.