Goulburn Race Club gets its own Australia Day on Tuesday…literally…being the only race meeting across this wide brown land.
The club’s seven race-card is a strong one with good local representation but it could be a visitor who burns brightest.
Wagga based trainer Maddison Collins heads to the tablelands track with a ‘one – run – happy if we won’ scenario for her upside galloper Burnt To A Crisp.
The galloper (by Sizzling) tackles the GG Engineering Class1 Country Boosted Handicap over 1200m having hit the ground running since a December debut.
Collins’ last visit to Goulburn was a productive one landing top dollar with Ace of Lace last July, the trainer believing a similar result is not out of the question with Burnt To A Crisp.
“We’re super pleased with how he is heading into Tuesday, his track work has been super, he’s a great traveller, and it looks a nice little race for him,” Collins offered.
Burnt To A Crisp lines up for just start number three at Goulburn after winning on debut at Wagga then backing that up with a close up third at Gundagai three weeks ago.
Collins says an enforced slow burn with four-year-old hasn’t been such a bad thing.
“He’s a quirky horse, but you can put up with it when they have ability! He had a setback mid last year and I think it was honestly a blessing in disguise as it has allowed him to mature,” Collins offered.
The young trainer can see past Tuesday with him too, expecting more improvement as he gathers race-day experience.
“I believe so, and he’ll be a better product next preparation. He’s still learning what’s it’s all about and I do think he’ll get over a little bit further in time.”
Collins has plenty on her plate but feels good about her set up at present after a ‘six-year apprenticeship’ in the training ranks.
“It’s been great, has taken me a little while to find my feet and build a stable of better quality horses, but things have really started falling into place the last couple years.”
” I have two young kids so a small team is perfect for me, I ride all my own track work and do all the work at home so having six or seven horses in work is a good number.”
“My partner Josh (Richardson) comes in and helps with gallops but it’s primarily just myself.”
Richardson will pilot Burnt To A Crisp from a plum draw (3) at Goulburn, Collins diplomatic about what she expects from the ‘hired help’.
“We’ll let him land and travel where he’s comfortable, he’s a hard-going horse in track work but seems to really relax in his races. I know he has a turn of foot so I’m happy to see him ridden where ever he’s most comfortable.”
Being busy is obviously working for Collins who rates her Gundagai Cup win as a career highlight to date.
“I rode ‘The Doctors Son’ in track work for many years before I started training him so was pretty amazing to win a feature race like that with him.”
She secured her trainers license after a number of years riding track work at Albury for Andrew Dale whom she credits as key mentor.
The Collins stable has punched out a winning strike rate of around twenty percent over the last twelve months including four winners and another eight top three results from nineteen runners since September.
The trainer said a positive result at Goulburn on Tuesday for Burnt To A Crisp’s would be just reward for connections of the horse.
“His owners are from Sydney and are a beautiful family who bred him. I’m super grateful with how patient they’ve been with getting him to the races. It wasn’t an easy road but they’re starting to reap the rewards now.”
Goulburn’s race meeting on Tuesday is its first for the calendar year and leads out a run of three meetings that track towards the club’s Evergreen Turf Country Championships Southern Wildcard Race Day on Sunday 22nd March.
Goulburn’s track is currently rated a Soft 5 for Tuesday’s meeting with the rail in the True position and the opener timed to go at 1.50pm. For further updates follow Goulburn Race Club’s socials.
Goulburn Soldiers Club & Goulburn Australia are proud supporters of Goulburn & District Racing Club
