Bruce eyeing more milestones after breakout season

By Glenn Davis

Jack Bruce has accomplished much in his short training career, but has many more goals he wants to achieve for his resume.

The 36-year-old conditioner has been training for four years and produced his first win of the new racing season when Grinzinger Champ was successful at Doomben on August 1.

He has won two stakes races with Axe in the Listed Weetwood Handicap at Toowoomba in 2022 and Earn To Burn in the Listed Queensland Day Stakes at Eagle Farm on June 6.

Bruce has just completed his best result as a trainer after finishing ninth in last season’s Brisbane trainers' premiership with 28 wins for a 15.2% strike-rate.

He also finished fifth with 83.5 wins behind champion trainer Tony Gollan in the Queensland trainer’s premiership last season.

“It was a great season for the stable and I’m really pleased with the metropolitan season against trainers like Waller, Maher, Freedman and the Archibalds, all of whom are not based in Queensland,” Bruce said.

“The goal is to cement myself in the top echelon of trainers and while it’s a long way off, last season was a good stepping stone.

“It’s been another big achievement to win two stakes races with Earn To Burn and Axe, who was a $50,000 buy.”

Bruce trained his second winner of the new season when Everybody Rise won at Eagle Farm last Saturday and is hopeful of a third straight Saturday city winner when he takes a team of three to Doomben.

Hong Kong-based jockey James Orman will link with Bruce when he partners Razors in the Class 3 Plate while Grinzinger Champ will again be one of his best hopes in the Benchmark 78 Handicap over 1200 metres.

Orman is keen to stay fit during the Hong Kong offseason and has been given permission by the Hong Kong Jockey Club to ride in three meetings during his Queensland visit.

Orman rode 32 winners in Hong Kong last season and has taken seven rides at Doomben.

He was in fine form at Eagle Farm on Wednesday when he rode a double aboard Beat The Rap in the Maiden Plate and the Tony Gollan-trained Midnight Spirit in the Benchmark 68 Handicap.

Beat The Rap is trained by Orman’s mother, Caroline Allardyce.

Bruce believes Grinzinger Champ is in the right zone to complete a hat-trick of wins and expects both Razors and Eclair Awesome in the Class 6 Handicap to be competitive.

“Grinzinger Champ is going well and hopefully she can win again,” Bruce said.

“She’s good enough to win this, but she’s drawn awkwardly so hopefully she can get the right run in the race.

“Razors has come back with a bang and steps up to 1350 metres second-up and there’s a lot to like about him in a fairly strong Class 3.

“I’ve been waiting for a good draw with Eclair Awesome and she’s finally got one.

“She gets in well with her weight, so hopefully she can get a good run."