Hatch and Marty set to party

By Glenn Davis

Toowoomba trainer Lindsay Hatch is hopeful the real Let’s Party Marty can regain his best form and end a minor form slump at Doomben on Wednesday.

Let’s Party Marty will be chasing his first win since December when the gelding steps out in the Class 5 Handicap over 1350 metres.

The seven-year-old’s only placing in seven subsequent starts was at his last appearance when ridden by stable apprentice Kyle Wilson-Taylor, who retains the ride.

The son of Duporth raced midfield and ran home solidly to finish second to the Tony Gollan-trained Vinco in a 1300-metre Benchmark race at Toowoomba last month.

“He’s a good horse and should be hard to beat,” Hatch said.

“It was a tremendous run last start and the winner looks very promising.”

Hatch considered sending Let’s Party Marty for the recentNorthern Queensland Winter Racing Carnival before baulking on a trip north.

“I thought about sending him north for the Mackay and Cairns Newmarkets but he had a bleed before I got him so I didn’t risk it," he said.

“Because he’s bled in the past, I treat him with kid gloves and he does a lot of steady work and figure eights in his work.

“He looks well placed tomorrow and he should go a lot better.”

Hatch rates the Scott Morrisey-trained Parko and Five Oxford from the Kevin Kemp stable as dangers to Let’s Party Marty recording his sixth win in 30 starts.

The gelding won twice for Hatch in November and December last year and is having only his third run back from a spell.

“He ran ninth in his first run back this campaign but we found he wasn’t right and he scoped with some mucus,” Hatch said.

Hatch has won the past two Toowoomba trainers’ premierships and has a great record with tried horses.

Let’s Party Marty showed a lot of promise early in his career when trained by David Vandyke who nominated him for the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas in his three-year-old year.