Ned's Gully an unlikely winter contender

By Glenn Davis

Toowoomba trainer Paul Wallace believes time will tell whether promising sprinter Ned’s Gully can prove he’s a Queensland Racing Carnival contender.

Wallace will saddle up Ned’s Gully in the Open Handicap over 1200 metres at Doomben on Wednesday and has retained last start winning rider Mark Du Plessis for the five-year-old.

Ned’s Gully recorded his seventh win when he was successful over 1200 metres at Eagle Farm on March 16.

It took his prize money tally to almost $245,000.

“At this stage I doubt he’d go for the winter races but time will tell,” Wallace said.

“Maybe he could go up north for the winter but that’s a decision for his owners.

“He’s not the best of travellers and gets a bit fizzy going to the races but he’s okay once he gets there.

“If he can race every fortnight for the next month or so, that’ll be his go.

“Otherwise, we might just come back for the latter part of the winter or maybe just target some of the lesser winter races in Brisbane.”

Ned’s Gully is a son of dual Group 1-winner Bel Esprit out of the former Desleigh Forster-trained mare Amizade.

One of Forster’s long-time clients, former Brisbane bookmaker Doug Forbes and Jason Fogarty raced the three time winner Amizade and bred Ned’s Gully after she was retired to stud.

Wallace’s training ability is being recognised with his stable at Westbrook on Toowoomba’s outskirts growing substantially in numbers.

“I used to have 10 in work but I’ve got so many now I’ve stopped counting,” he said.

Wallace used to regard himself as a hobby trainer when he worked full-time for a John Deere dealership in Toowoomba.

“I’ve been back training full-time for around three years now,” he said.

“I had a young family and was running the dealership in Toowoomba when I decided to scale back to concentrate on the horses but I still work remotely for the dealership.”

Wallace preferred to watch his horses race on television back then but now attends most city meetings when he brings a horse down the Range.

“I’d rather be with my horses back home than go to the races but I know I have to go as it’s part of the job,” he said.