Trainer Lindsay Gough after another northern feature win

By Glenn Davis

Trainer Lindsay Gough and owner Bill Mumford hope to celebrate another Northern Queensland Winter Racing Carnival feature win with a two-pronged attack from veteran sprinters Constant Flight and Wren’s Day on the final day of the Cairns Amateurs on Saturday.

Constant Flight and Wren’s Day are both part-owned by Mumford and will tackle the $75,000 Cairns Amateur Sprint over 1400 metres.

Gough and Mumford teamed with Wren’s Day to win last year’s Cleveland Bay Handicap at Townsville, which is regarded as the Stradbroke of the north.

Constant Flight went close to giving the pair back-to-back Cleveland Bays this year when the nine-year-old finished a courageous third to Rockhampton sprinter Isis Carmella at Townsville last month.

Wren’s Day was also entered for the Cleveland Bay but was scratched after drawing badly and was reserved for the Cairns Newmarket in which he finished a disappointing ninth to the Stephen Massingham-trained Full Recognition.

Gough favours Constant Flight as his stable’s best hope but expects a big improvement from 10-year-old Wren’s Day.

“Wren’s Day as been a bit behind the eight ball up north this year but I’ve got no doubt this will be the best run of his campaign,” Gough said.

“But, on form, I favour Constant Flight after his last run.

“He had to work hard early from an awkward barrier in the Cleveland Bay and I thought he was going to give it all away at the 200 metres but he fought on well.

“I’m very happy with him and he’s been placed in four of his last five runs.”

The Townsville-born Gough has been training since 2000 and has racing flowing through his veins.

“I was born in Townsville and grew up there. The family always had horses in the backyard and Dad (Barry Gough) was a jockey and trained up there before we moved to Brisbane,” Gough recalled.

“I suppose I was always going to be a trainer. It’s in the blood.” 

Mumford has raced horses for many years and is best known to Queenslanders as the owner of Consular who he bought for $20,000 as a tried horse in Victoria. 

Consular was trained at Eagle Farm by Billy Baker and went on to earn more than $1 million in prize money with 16 wins and 14 placings from 85 starts. 

Among Consular’s best performances was in the 2004 Stradbroke Handicap when he finished second to the Bob Thomsen-trained Thorn Park.