Temple Of Boom A Fitter Horse Ahead Of BTC Cup

Trainer Tony Gollan has revealed that veteran sprinter Temple Of Boom will be a much fitter horse heading into the 2015 BTC Cup at Doomben on Saturday.

Temple Of Boom will have the chance to win a second race at Group 1 level in the 2015 BTC Cup. Photo by: Steve Hart

Temple Of Boom will have the chance to win a second race at Group 1 level in the 2015 BTC Cup. Photo by: Steve Hart

Gollan elected not to send Temple Of Boom to Sydney for an autumn campaign and the Piccolo gelding instead made his return to racing in the Group 2 Victory Stakes (1200m) at the Gold Coast on April 25, where he finished sixth behind Srikandi.

The leading Brisbane trainer told Sky Racing that he was happy with the Victory Stakes performance of Temple Of Boom and he is confident that the eight-year-old has taken a great deal of benefit out of the first-up run heading into the 2015 BTC Cup.

“I thought that his run was good,” Gollan said.

“We had him in work for a while and it was a long time between runs.

“He just wasn’t quite ready to travel away in the autumn and this time last year we already had a couple of runs under his belt coming back to Brisbane.

“We lost a jump out coming in and I was quite concerned with where we were at first-up, but I thought his run was terrific.

“He only blew out in condition in the last 100 metres and he has taken huge improvement from that run.

“Barriers draw are crucial and $18 is probably tricky before you see the draws, but if he was to draw soft I think that $18 is very lucrative.”

Team Hawkes-trained Our Boy Malachi is currently on top of 2015 BTC Cup betting markets and he has been well-backed to record his seventh straight race win this weekend.

Gollan admits that Our Boy Malachi is an impressive sprinter, but he believes that the Top Echelon will face the toughest test of his racing career to date in the BTC Cup and may need to produce on his effort to win the Group 3 Hall Mark Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on April 18.

“He is a beautiful horse and he is a lovely type,” Gollan said.

“I think that he has been really well-placed down in Sydney and Group 1 weight-for-age races will be much stronger than what he has been against.

“He is an impressive horse, he loves the sting out of the ground and I am looking forward to seeing him race on Saturday.”

The 2015 BTC Cup field will be released this morning and is set to include the likes of Temple Of Boom, Our Boy Malachi, Srikandi, Trust In A Gust, Bring Me The Maid, Sacred Star, Scissor Kick and El Roca.

About The Author

Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.