Fogarty Calls Up Colless For Last Gift
- Thursday, 27 October 2011 07:46
Hobby trainer Jim Fogarty has reached into his bag of tricks, calling on experienced jockey Glen Colless and winkers for north Queensland star Last Gift in a desperate attempt to end the gelding's barrier woes at Doomben.
Last Gift, who lines up for his second Brisbane start in Saturday's ANZA Communications Handicap (1350m), has missed the start for most of his career which has produced three wins and two placings from seven starts.
The three-year-old bungled the start at his first Brisbane appearance at Eagle Farm last week when he came from last to finish ninth to the promising Another Superior.
"It wasn't that bad a run and he was only beaten around four lengths," Fogarty said.
"His normal rider Anthony Merritt couldn't afford the time to come down so I've booked Glen and I'm hoping his extra experience may help.
"Anthony is tied up in Townsville this week and his partner has just had a baby."
Fogarty, a farrier by trade, has in the past used pacifiers and blinkers on Last Gift to correct his wayward manners but to no avail.
"Had he jumped with them last start he would have been in the finish," Fogarty said.
"Having Glen on this time might make a difference as he's got a lot of experience.
"I took his blinkers off for his first Brisbane run last week but it didn't make a lot of difference as he still missed the start.
"I've tried pacifiers and they haven't worked either so this time I'm going to try winkers on him for the first time.
"He's worked in winkers before and seems to go okay with them."
Fogarty is keeping a close watch on the weather as Last Gift has never been on a track rated worse than dead.
"I've got no idea how he'll go if the track is wet," Fogarty said.
"He hasn't been on one yet, not even in trackwork.
"The training track we use in Townsville is sand and it compacts down when it rains.
"If we get a slow track he should be fine but I'm not sure if the weather turns bad and it becomes heavy."
Fogarty is one of racing's real journeymen having worked for several years as a farrier for the late Bruce McLachlan at Thornhill Park in the mid-1990s.
He's been training for 32 years with the exception of a year he took off to travel around Australia.
"I did the grey nomad thing. Had a year off travelling around Australia," he said.
"I did some farrier work at Lindsay Park and ended up working for 10 days during the Alice Springs carnival when their regular farrier was crook."
