Veteran sprinter Temple Of Boom is expected to show vast improvement when he runs second-up in the Listed $175,000 Jones Retail Lough Neagh Stakes (1350m) at Doomben on Saturday.
Trainer Tony Gollan is expecting a better performance from Temple Of Boom, above, in the Lough Neagh Stakes at Doomben. Photo by Steve Hart.
Temple Of Boom was resuming from a short break when he tired in the straight to finish seventh to stablemate Didntcostalot in the Group 3 $200,000 Channel 7 George Moore Stakes (1200m) at Doomben two weeks ago.
The nine year old was the only Tony Gollan trained runner to miss a place in the George Moore Stakes with his other three runner filling the trifecta with Gundy Spirit and Fontelina finishing second and third.
But Gollan still has plenty of faith in Temple If Boom and is expecting him to step out a much fitter horse on the weekend.
“Temple Of Boom should be a lot better after chasing home Didntcostalot in the George Moore Stakes,” Gollan told Racing Queensland News.
Temple Of Boom was able to win the 2012 Group 1 $350,000 Galaxy (1100m) at Randwick but had a short but mixed 2015 Spring Carnival campaign which kicked off with a third to Burbero in the Group 2 $175,000 McGrath Estate Agents Missile Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on August 8.
Gollan then set his attention to the Melbourne Spring Carnival but Temple Of Boom failed to fire when he beat one runner home when fourteenth behind Boban in the Group 1 $400,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 29.
Temple Of Boom then headed home for a short break before Gollan prepared him for a Brisbane Summer sprint campaign.
Jockey Tegan Harrison is set to renew her association with Temple Of Boom in the Lough Neagh Stakes, replacing Michael Cahill who was aboard in the George Moore Stakes.
Harrison and Temple Of Boom came together at the beginning of the 2014 Brisbane Winter Carnival and scored an upset win over the more fancied stablemate Spirit Of Boom in the Group 2 $175,000 Greenslopes Private Victory Stakes (1200m) at Eagle Farm.
Temple Of Boom then maintained that form throughout the Winter Carnival and was unlucky not to have collected a Group 1 double with Harrison in the saddle.
Spirit Of Boom was able to turn the tables with a nose verdict over Temple Of Boom in the Group 1 $650,000 James Boag’s Premium Doomben 10000 (1350m) at Doomben.
Then at his next start Temple Of Boom was beaten by a similar margin when second to River Lad in the Group 1 $1.36m AAMI Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm.
Harrison then had a further six rides on him with their best effort being a second to Chautauqua in the Group 3 $150,000 Bobby Lewis Quality (1200m) at Flemington at the beginning of the 2014 Melblurne Spring Carnival,
While Harrison was only able to find the winner’s stall once from ten rides on the tough sprinter, the pair collected over $500,000 in prizemoney.
Temple Of Boom is one of four runners Gollan will saddle up in the Lough Neagh Stakes and has been marked as a $13 chance with Ladbrokes.com.au.
Fontellina is the highest ranked of the Gollan runners at $5.50 ahead of Gundy Spirit at $9 and $81 outsider Brave Ali.
Lough Neagh Stakes market order at Ladbrokes.com.au: $4 Peace Force, $4.20 Weinholt, $5.50 Fontelina, $6 Saluter, $8 Steel Zip, $9 Gundy Spirit, $12 Miss Cover Girl, $13 Temple Of Boom, $61 Anna Lizzie, $81 Brave Ali, $101 Abu Ben Adam.
