Tony Gollan knows it can be a fool’s business predicting big things off a 650m shortcourse trial romp, but he suspects exciting rookie Barbie’s Sister is the real deal.
Two-year-old racing and Magic Millions lead-ups in Queensland heat up on Saturday with the official start of the summer carnival at the Sunshine Coast metropolitan meeting.
There is great interest in the 2YO 1000m dash, with trial pervs smitten by the seven-length romp of Barbie’s Sister in a 650m trial at Deagon on October 31.
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Unraced filly Barbie’s Sister was a $300,000 Magic Millions buy and is a full sister to former Gollan star Outback Barbie.
Outback Barbie, owned by the late cattle property owner Alan Acton who died tragically in a helicopter crash in April, won $1.6m in a glittering career.
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Gollan said the similarities between rookie filly Barbie’s Sister and Outback Barbie are uncanny.
The champion trainer isn’t getting too carried away with the trial win, but admits he likes what he sees.
“She is obviously a very sharp filly,” Gollan said.
“It was only a 650m trial and I have elected to go to this race without giving her another trial.
“I will either be right or wrong with that.
“But she did it pretty easily in the trial and she has had a nice couple of pieces of work since.
“I’m confident I have done enough with her.
“She is a very precocious sort of filly.
“She is a full (sister) to Outback Barbie and she looks just like her, she is a dead ringer for her.
“I think she is more of a ready-made runner, a more up and going two-year-old than what Outback Barbie was at this stage.
“Barbie’s Sister just jumped and put herself there in the trial, she has got great natural speed, she can settle in behind something if she needs to.
“I am always a little bit apprehensive off one 650m trial, but that’s just the way the timing has worked.”
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Gollan will be striving to win back-to-back Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic’s in January after Skirt The Law broke the duck for him in the rich race earlier this year.
Angela Jones will be entrusted with the ride on Barbie’s Sister in the QTIS 2YO Handicap (1000m) as the filly makes her debut on the Sunshine Coast on Saturday.
“Ange has been doing a good job with her work on the filly,” Gollan said.
“She has got good hands and she deserves the opportunity to be on her race day.”
Gollan will have a big team of runners at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday, including five sprinters in the Swiss Ace Plate.
Originally published as Tony Gollan filly Barbie’s Sister to debut at Sunshine Coast following seven-length trial win