Toowoomba trainers bring it home

Friendly Embrace connections Ken Larkin, Wayne Nugent and Scott Seamer enjoy their win

The trip was made worthwhile for two Toowoomba trainers who took out the feature races at City Pacific Doomben on Saturday, August 30.

Wayne Nugent from Glenvale took the spoils in the Sponsors Special Handicap 1200m with Friendly Embrace and Wilsonton trainer Barry Squair picked up a win in the Hyundai Handicap 1615m with Striking Victory (NZ).

With a nice run down the rails, Scott Seamer put the speed on in the home straight to send Friendly Embrace (G7 Clang-Friendly Miss) to victory three quarters of a length in front of $4.80 race favourite Forestreno (Tony Pattillo).

Victory Code NZ (Shane Scriven) followed in third by a short head.

“He (Seamer) just lobbed him out in behind the post,” said Nugent.

“We thought there was going to be a fair bit of pace in the race and he just lobbed him across in behind them and tracked up behind the leaders coming to the corner and they rolled off and got the run through on the fence and went round the horse and just out sprinted them.”

Nugent’s win with Friendly Embrace was made even more impressive considering the trainer only has two horses in work.

“I’ve got two at the moment and another filly being broken in. I only ever sort of keep between two and four.”

Shane Scriven rounds out a double on Striking Victory (Noel Pascoe photos)

“It’s hard to find especially when you’re only sort of turning over one or two every year. It’s very hard to get a horse that’s like him.”

When asked about his day job Nugent replied, “Depends what time of the day you get me.”

“I’m a farrier by trade and I also run a farrier supply business and I sort of run that of a morning and then go shoeing horses of an afternoon and then get up early in the morning and train the horses and do all that sort of thing.”

Friendly Embrace has proved an honest horse for Nugent and fellow owner Kenneth Larkin. “He’s won 10 from 26 now,” said Nugent.

The gelding also placed a close fourth in the Listed Weetwood Handicap.

“He always tries, he’s just one of those horses that doesn’t know how to put in a bad run except when he’s on a wet track.”

After only just moving to Barry Squair’s stables from Gerald Ryan, Striking Victory (G9 Victory Dance IRE-Striking Lass NZ) lived up to his name producing a solid win in the second feature race.

The gelding got a good start from barrier five to sit third a few lengths behind the race favourites Umaprince (Tasha Chambers) and Grey Stream (Mandy Radecker).

As they straightened he came around the leaders and beat off a challenge from Secrets Untold (Scott Seamer) to cross the line three quarters of a length ahead.

Fulmonti NZ (Brad Pengelly) followed in third by three quarters of a length leaving the race leaders unplaced.

After previously winning the first with Felixtrinidad, jockey Shane Scriven was happy to produce a double.

“We had a sweet run,” he said.

“The leaders went along a fair bat in the race but I was very confident a long way out. He got into a rhythm where he was happy.”

“Scotty (Secrets Untold) came out after me at the top of the straight. I really thought he had the better of me but I got stuck into my old bloke and he dug and he dug. It was a gutsy win.”

“Baz hasn’t had him for that long but he said for the three and a half weeks he’s been happy with him. Again I don’t think we’re finished with him.”

While Squair wasn’t confident heading into the race, he was happy with the run.

“I think he’s a very nice horse,” he said.

“He’s an old horse but his leg seems to be very good so while their legs are good you can sort of keep them racing.”

“I wasn’t over confident for the simple fact that I only had him three and a half weeks and he ran in the Coffs Harbour Cup before that and he ran about ninth but we looked at his races and he seems to like that distance, 1600m so we give him a chance but you know I wasn’t really confident.

“He seems to run all his good races up near the lead and there was a hell of a lot of pace on with a couple of the lightly weighted horses and we just took a sit there. He was up pretty handy, he was running third all the way. He went really well.”

Fellow Toowoomba trainer Donald Baker also claimed a victory with Russeting (Adrian Coome) in the Think Pink Think Choices Fillies and Mares Class 6 Handicap 1200m.

QUEENSLAND Racing web news: Hollie Roberts – September 1