Todd Pollard has marked his first Group victory as a trainer with Midnight In Tokyo winning the Show County Quality at Randwick, almost five months after commencing his training career.
Pollard, who honed his skills with Annabel and Rob Archibald in Sydney before managing their Queensland satellite operation, launched his independent training venture earlier this year.
He quickly made his mark, securing two Listed wins during the Brisbane winter carnival with Midnight In Tokyo and Zuleika, alongside a Randwick winner in July with All Kinds Of Folk.
However, Midnight In Tokyo’s triumph in Saturday’s Group 3 sprint represented a significant step up.
“It’s absolute euphoria when it’s like this,” Pollard stated. “It has its days for sure, but we’re lucky we’ve got a mare like her to be running well for us and to come to Randwick is just so special.”
The seven-year-old mare, Midnight In Tokyo, has potentially earned an extension to her racing career by avoiding immediate retirement with this victory.
Considering her current fitness and strong winter form, Pollard was confident in her ability to perform well and believed she would be difficult to catch if she set the pace. Observers comparing the best horse racing betting sites would have noted the mare’s solid winter form leading into the Group 3 event.
“There was nothing I could knock about her today, and when she found the front I thought, if he could keep her going (she was a chance),” he explained. “They were coming late, that’s for sure. She only just sees out the 1200, but if she can get in a good rhythm, squeeze her up and kick away and put a bit of a margin on them, I thought the favoured horses might be a bit too far back to catch her. It worked perfect.”
Midnight In Tokyo is set to return to Queensland, with her next likely start being the Sheraco Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill on September 12.
Queensland jockey Ben Thompson shared in the excitement of the win, attributing the mare’s success to Pollard’s astute training and race placement.
“I’ll tell you what, he’s hit a lot of bullseyes in a short amount of time and he nailed it with her,” Thompson remarked. “He knows her really well through taking care of her for Annabel and Rob Archibald prior to going on his own. “She’s just a happy mare. She’s just turned seven, she’s not showing any signs of it.”
Midnight In Tokyo’s victory provided Queensland with consecutive stakes race wins, following the Tony Gollan-trained Pembrey’s success in the Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) for three-year-old fillies.
For those interested in the upcoming racing, the Sheraco Stakes at Rosehill presents a compelling contest, with odds available at Australian betting sites.
