By Glenn Davis
Promising colt Rains Aplenty booked a Brisbane winter carnival campaign with a dominant victory in the QTIS Two-Year-Old Maiden Plate (1200m) at Doomben on Wednesday.
Ridden by apprentice Jag Guthmann-Chester, Rains Aplenty made his opposition look second rate with a decisive four length win over Alle Vongole.
It was the first city win from trainer John Zielke's new Gold Coast base after he moved from Toowoomba last month.
Rains Aplenty was placed at his first three starts last campaign before being sent to the paddock after finishing last of five behind Ef Troop in the Listed Phelan Ready Stakes at Doomben in mid-December.
“Today was all about giving him a kill and it was a big effort,” Zielke said.
“He's bred to win better races as his mother Macedon Lady won a Group 1 Thousand Guineas in Melbourne.
“I’ve earmarked the Sires Produce Stakes and J J Atkins for him in the winter as he’s definitely looking for further ground.”
Zielke and his major backer, Evan Hartley of Dovedeen Pty Ltd, were major players at the recent QTIS March sales at the Gold Coast.
“I ended up with seven yearlings for Evan at the sales,” Zielke said.
Meanwhile Sydney apprentice Taylor Marshall continued his good form since arriving in Queensland last month when successful on the heavily backed Mishani Electra in the Fillies & Mares Class Three Handicap (1100m).
The Ben Currie-trained Mishani Electra relished the heavy going to down Mia’s Got Class by a long neck with Snow Fields, third, a further 2-1/2 lengths away.
Marshall had his first Queensland ride at Doomben on February 10 and Mishani Electra’s win was his eighth victory in 36 rides since his arrival.
Currie has always had a good opinion of Mishani Electra who was having her first start since winning at Toowoomba in early December.
“She’s a nice filly and I’ve had a good opinion of her for a while,” Currie said.
“We came here thinking she had a good chance on a soft track then it was downgraded to heavy.
“She’s always shown us a lot of ability and I was confident she could win first-up the day she ran second to Adoradancer last time in.
“She ran into some really nice horses when she was last in work and then ran well in races at Toowoomba before she went out for a break.”
Only five races were run at Doomben before the final three races, including the National Apprentice Series Class Two Plate, were abandoned due to safety concerns following earlier rain.
Racing Queensland webnews March 21