Gollan sends loyal owner Barnett out a winner

By Jordan Gerrans and Andrew Smith

Barrie Barnett was an owner who backed Tony Gollan in the infancy of his career and the Brisbane trainer was able to send his loyal supporter out a winner in his final days.

Barnett raced horses with Gollan, as well as his late father Darryl, for decades, until his recent passing.

The Newcastle-based Barnett was 89 years of age.

Barnett’s association with the Gollan family dates back to horses such as Listen Son, who claimed the Listed Keith Noud back in 2011, while he also ran sixth in the time-honoured Stradbroke Handicap in the same year.

In recent times, Barnett has raced Listen Jani with the leading Brisbane trainer, with the mare winning her last two starts at Ipswich.

Barnett, or 'Baz', as his mates called him, named the mare after his late daughter.

The long-time stable owner passed away in the lead-up to the four-year-old mare’s recent double, which included her latest effort at Ipswich on Friday of last week.

While Barnett was in his final days, he was still able to savour another Queensland triumph with the leading trainer.

“He got sick in the last three or four weeks,” Gollan recalls.

“He had a family member there with him and showed him Listen Jani when she won her maiden in late July.

“It gave me great satisfaction to see her win and him actually witness that, even though it was on the phone in his final few days.

“Then, obviously, he gave us a good bit of luck there on Friday.

“He was just a great man.”

Barnett was also in the ownership group of the unraced Stellagracia with Gollan. 

Like Gollan’s late father Darryl, Barnett was also a publican who loved his horses.

He had horses with both Gollans over the years, as well as shares in gallopers with trainers such as John Manzelmann, Tim Cook and Terry Evans.

Barnett was a part-owner of the legendary Australian champion racehorse Luskin Star, holding a share in the iconic colt alongside a group of stable clients.

“He's been in racing a whole lifetime,” Gollan said.

“Racing has lost a good man, but heaven has certainly gained a saint, I can tell you. What a great man.”

The Gollan camp has grown over the years into a powerhouse, recently earning a 13^th straight city training premiership while also racking up 200 victories for the season across the nation.

Barnett was there at the start for Tony when he was starting out, helping him deliver his first black-type victory in Queensland with Listen Son.

“He'd come into our stable's life and he grew a great friendship with my father, who was a publican on the Darling Downs,” the trainer reflected.

“They'd become great mates. Barry was just a remarkable man. He was a publican through and through, until the day he died.

“He was a bloke who loved a yarn. He had so many good stories.”

Listen Jani, who is a daughter of Better Than Ready, has two wins on her resume from five career starts after claiming the QTIS Three-Year-Old and Four-Year-Old Benchmark 68 Handicap over 1350 metres at Ipswich last week. 

As the 2026-27 campaign commences, champion trainer Gollan is shooting for higher honours once again after a record-breaking 2025-26 season.

Last season was the first time in his stellar career that he had cracked 200 winners in a term. 

“I look back on the 200 winners as something I really wanted to achieve,” he said.

“We got into the nervous 190s last year and we lost a wicket. We didn't get there. It was a real goal to get the 200 this time.

“That was important to us. As a whole, the season's been good. We did some things really well.

“Some things we can do better this year. We're looking to go bigger and better in the 2026-27 season, to be honest, for our stable.

“Hopefully, as a unit, we're a big stable with two different bases up here in Queensland, at the Gold Coast and Eagle Farm.

“They're running really well together. I think we're in for a bigger season this year than what you saw last year.”

Looking south to Melbourne and Sydney over the coming weeks and months, the Gollan team is likely to have a presence across the carnivals.

They already landed a blow with Boomtown Boss, who claimed the prize in the Group 3 Aurie’s Star at Flemington earlier this month.

Boomtown Boss has already headed home to the Sunshine State to prepare for the summer while stablemate Pembrey will feature prominently in Sydney soon. 

“Boomtown Boss, he's come home now and we're going to set our sights towards Magic Millions with him for the big prizemoney on the Coast,” Gollan said.

“Pembrey will run Saturday week at the start of the Princess Series down there.

“We're confident she can really play her part in that three-year-old filly series, even getting out towards the mile with her.

“Transatlantic, he's our top seed, I suppose at the moment, performance-wise, having won a Group 1.

“He'll make his way at this stage to Sydney.

“What part of that carnival and just where, I just want to see how things progress within the next couple of weeks. There are a few options for him. Probably just underneath that top level.”