Hatch and Ares Chalk Up First Cluden Winner Together

Ares Racing boss John Horan was a relieved man when Baby Guinness lasted in a desperate finish at Cluden Park on Saturday.

The narrow victory was the first Townsville winner for Ares with Toowoomba trainer Lindsay Hatch at the helm at just their second Townsville race day.

“This is our first winner with Lindsay in Townville. He’s won two in Toowoomba for us with Breakwater Boy but this is our first here,” Horan said.

“We were feeling a bit of the pressure but it’s great that we’ve finally got one. We thought Bondi Beau won the amateur sprint a few weeks ago and we cheered way too hard. He got beaten a whisker.

“I was a bit nervous in this one too, she looked like she’d won but you never can tell on this track.”

Ares has nine horses in work with Hatch in Townsville, another five at his Toowoomba headquarters, more spelling and Horan is already looking at a couple more purchases at January’s Magic Millions Sale.

In the meantime he has high hopes for Baby Guinness, who has now won two of her five starts and as a two year old stretched the unbeaten Missile Thunder at Cluden at only her second start.

“After she ran so well against Missile Thunder we thought she could be anything. She went shin sore when she went to Rocky for the classic there and spelled and she’s come back good and is starting to put it together.

“We might target the sales race in Rocky in April, but she’s likely to have one more start here and then go from there. Lindsay may even take her to Brisbane.

“Going from 1000m first-up, where everything went wrong, to 1300m today she needed a super ride to win and Lacey Morrison gave her a 10 out of 10 run.

“I’m not sure she’s a 1300m horse but she had such a lovely run in front she got away with it.”

Baby Guinness was able to lead and dictate at a slow pace for much of Saturday’s  3YO QTIS Hcp (1300m) and in a sprint home just lasted from the luckless favourite Zipping Irish, who was brought undone by the tempo.

The win was the first of three successive victories for Morrison who went on to win on the impressive Smart Image in the C.U.B. Open Hcp (1200m), and Miss Seattle in the Mitavite BM 70 Hcp (1400m).

Cairns trainer Trevor Rowe, who prepares Smart Image with his son Peter, is already looking ahead to next year’s northern features after three straight wins with the five-year-old.

“He might have one more and then spell and come back for the carnivals. When I got him Jimmy Orman said he can mix his form, but he’s smart and can win a Cleveland Bay if he does his best.

“So far he’s going great for us.”

Pictured: Baby Guinness and jockey Lacey Morrison (inside) defy a late challenge from Zipping Irish to win for Ares Racing and trainer Lindsay Hatch at Cluden.

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