Holt on Trail of Big Race Win to Cap Stand-Out Year

With a first trainers’ premiership virtually in the bag, Townsville racing’s rising young star Georgie Holt is turning her focus to winter carnival spoils at Cluden Park today.

Holt, who is poised to claim the Cluden trainers’ title with an unassailable 16 win lead on 32 wins, will launch a three-pronged attack on a key Townsville Cup leadup, the Ladbrokes NQ Cup (1609m).

The stable will saddle up warhorse Bold Kingston, promising stayer Portnoy and the talented Siren Rock in the feature race which offers the winner an automatic start in the Townsville Cup on August 12.

For Holt who, with the support of husband Aidan, has risen to the top of the Townsville training ranks in just six years, only a big race winner over the carnival is missing from a standout year.

“It’s awesome that we’re leading the premiership but ideally we want keep up with the winners through the carnival as well,” Holt said.

“We haven’t had the chance yet since I’ve been training to be competitive over carnival and that’s our main focus.

 “We’ve been very lucky this season to have better quality horses. We’ve been around a bit longer as trainers and got that bit more experience. Our growth in this past 12 months has been huge, personally, as well.”

Holt rates Siren Rock the best of her three runners in tomorrow’s NQ Cup and is hoping to claim victory and a golden ticket for the Townsville Cup with the Lohnro gelding.

The five-year-old will go into the race after two runs back from a spell and on a quick back-up from an eye-catching third with 62.5kg in a 1400m Class 6 Hcp a week ago.

Holt, who already has Arctic Wolf in winning form going towards the Cups, has booked premier jockey Lacey Morrison for the Siren Rock ride.

“Obviously drawing the extreme outside barrier is not ideal, but not the end of the world for him,” Holt said.

“I’d like to see if we can step him up over further going forward through the carnival but there’s a question mark with him.

“He’s third up, he did plenty in his last start carrying the weight and it’s a good stepping stone for him as well programming wise. Hopefully, if he does get the win, we don’t have to worry about getting into the Cup - it’s just a case of whether he handles the distance going up in trip later on.

“In his work and the way he hits the line it seems he would and if we can target the cups that would be brilliant.

“We’ll give it a crack and if it doesn’t work we’ll bring him back and maybe freshen him up for the Cleveland Bay.

“But Cups is Plan A at the moment.”

Holt is also expecting veteran Bold Kingston to run well coming off a close second to Le Vizir over 1400m at his last start but would prefer a longer trip for restricted class galloper Portnoy.

“It’ll be a big test for Portnoy, who’s only won two races but on his work I think he’ll be competitive,” Holt said.

“His owners specifically purchased him to come up here as a potential cup horse and if it works out well and he’s competitive this year they’ll bring him back next year.

“After the carnival he’ll head back south because there’s no point keeping up them here if there’s no races for them.

“It’s a stepping stone for the longer races. We didn’t really target this race it’s just that he needs further and it’s come along at the right time.”

Meanwhile, in-form galloper Full Recognition heads a strong field of sprinters in the Ladbrokes Open Hcp (1200m) which offers the winner an automatic start in the Cleveland Bay Hcp on the bumper August 12 Cup Day.

Pictured: Siren Rock chalking up another win at Cluden. The five-year-old will lead a three-pronged attack on the Ladbrokes NQ Cup at Cluden today for leading trainer Georgie Holt.

See the racing calendar for upcoming race days.