ROMA trainer Wayne Baker hopes to break new ground at Chinchilla on February 29.
Once a good country jockey who rode numerous winners at Chinchilla, Baker is yet to saddle a winner there in the second phase of his racetrack career.
But he thinks change could be in the air thanks to The Consigliere (I Am Invincible - Perpugilliam), a leading contestant for the Betta Home Living Benchmark 60 Handicap (1030m).
The Consigliere has been absent from racing since mid-November when, after a string of outstanding performances, he finished unplaced on his home track in Roma.
He had stitched together a winning hat-trick between August 28 and November 5 before his Roma fifth.
"He was in super form," Baker said.
"He'd won three on the trot at Charleville (twice) and Mitchell and was probably coming to the end of his campaign when he ran at Roma so I can forgive that run.
"This horse puts in all the time and I am fairly confident he will go very close this weekend.
"I knew where the winning post was in my riding days but a win here as a trainer has escaped me. It would be great to get my first training win."
Baker has resisted using a claiming apprentice to lighten the 61.5kg impost his five-year-old has been asked to carry by the handicapper.
Instead he has opted for experience and engaged senior rider Gary Geran, who will be having his first ride on The Consigliere, once prepared by David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig in Victoria, then Mitch Beer in NSW before landing in Baker's stable.
Interestingly Geran will be one of only three male jockeys at Chinchilla alongside Nathan Fazackerley and Dan McGillivray, who is having his second day in the saddle on raceday.
By comparison 11 women will be riding at the card - Anna Bakos, Melissa Cox, Rebecca Goldsbury, Stephanie Lacy, Leanne McCoy, Emma McPherson, Kate Patch, Isabella Rabjones, Sally Sweeney, Angela Taylor and Tessa Townsend.
Geran will be the busiest of the boys with three other rides besides The Consigliere. Fazackerley and McGillivray have one appointment each.
The women will be impossible to beat in the Stayover On Zeller Maiden Plate (1400m). Each of the seven runners will have a female jockey aboard.
Speaking of women dominating, Julia Creek trainer Tanya Parry will have the numbers on her side in four events at Mt Isa.
Parry has accepted with six stable hopes in the Cava QTIS Maiden (900m), three in the Trevor Morris Builders Handicap (900m), two in the APG Glass and Aluminium Band 0-65 Handicap (900m) and four in the St Pat's Benchmark 50 Handicap (1100m).
Super quick Bootshaker (All Bar One-Honesty-Commands) is likely to be a short-priced favourite for the Summer Sizzler Benchmark 65 (850m) at Ferguson Park in Gladstone.
Trained in Emerald by Ray Williams, Bootshaker was a handy second in the Cannonball at Kilcoy on November 30 and has since won twice, including a similar Gladstone sprint in mid-December when he proved too good despite shouldering 63.5kg.
Alan Welburn
Lover of sport, particularly horse racing and all things Olympic. Have spent my entire working life in journalism, mostly with News Corp on its major metro mastheads. Done plenty of things but the best by far is having a teenage son who calls me dad.
Lover of sport, particularly horse racing and all things Olympic. Have spent my entire working life in journalism, mostly with News Corp on its major metro mastheads. Done plenty of things but the best by far is having a teenage son who calls me dad.
