Gollan hopeful Pembrey can overcome barrier

By Glenn Davis

Trainer Tony Gollan was in his final years of high school and playing rugby league when his late father Darryl Gollan hoped to win a Golden Slipper at Rosehill with his former star two-year-old Special Dane.

That was in 1997 when Special Dane, coming off placings in the Group 3 Skyline Stakes and Group 2 Todman Slipper, both at Rosehill, finished 10th in the Golden Slipper behind the John Hawkes-trained Guineas.

Guineas did his early racing in Queensland and won his first four races when Hawkes operated a satellite stable at Eagle Farm.

However, Guineas was regarded as a NSW-trained two-year-old leaving Bruce Brown’s Calaway Gal (2002) and the Bruce and Jason McLachlan-trained Phelan Ready (2009) as the only successful Queenslanders to win a Golden Slipper.

“I was in Grade 11 or Grade 12 when Dad tried to win the Slipper with Special Dane,” Tony Gollan recalled.

“I never went down to watch the race, but he was in a strong race that year with Guineas, General Nediym and Encounter in the field.”

Fast forward to now and Tony Gollan is a 12-time winner of the Brisbane trainer’s premiership and is hopeful his star filly Pembrey can do what his father was unable to achieve.

Gollan senior was a doyen of Queensland racing before he died following a long battle with cancer.

Darryl Gollan was a publican on Queensland’s Darling Downs for many years but mixed it with being a successful trainer based at Toowoomba.

He trained more than 300 winners including top two-year-old Novajinsky who ran in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes in 1994 along with Special Dane and many others.

Sydney jockey Tim Clark will ride Pembrey in the Golden Slipper if the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Agrarian Girl fails to secure a start from first emergency.

Gollan was disappointed with Pembrey drawing barrier 19 but remains hopeful she can overcome the disadvantage especially if the track becomes rain affected.

“Her win in the Magic Night Stakes was very good as she showed nice speed and quickened towards the end,” Gollan said.

“She was a bit wayward and stargazed a bit, but she’s improved and will be better for the experience.

“The alley isn’t the best, but they can win from out there, but she’ll need a few things go her way.

“She’s a push button filly so she’s a decent chance if she can relax after she jumps.”

Pembrey’s connections paid a $150,000 late entry fee for the Golden Slipper following her all-the-way win in the Magic Night Stakes at Rosehill last Saturday.

With a seven-day back-up and with rain about, a wet track doesn’t concern Gollan.

“She’s never backed up in a race like this, but I backed her up one day four days after a trial and she won by more than five lengths on debut at Eagle Farm last month,” Gollan said.

“If we get a wet track, it won’t worry her as she loves the wet and that would be a big plus.”