Trainer error blamed for Marty's defeat

By Glenn Davis

Lindsay Hatch has blamed trainer error for Let’s Party Marty’s first stable defeat but is confident the six-year-old can bounce back at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Hatch has booked promising apprentice Leah Kilner to replace Bobby El-Issa in the Open Handicap over 1200 metres.

Let’s Party Marty is coming off a last start fourth when he faded in the straight behind the Brian Wakefield-trained Roman Aureus in a 1350-metre Class 6 at Doomben on January 23.

The son of Duporth won his first start for Hatch in an 1110-metre Class 3 at Toowoomba in November last year before strolling home by more than three lengths in a 1200-metre Benchmark race at Doomben on December 19.

“He had the race won last time but he just knocked up and I’m blaming trainer error,” Hatch said.

“After his previous win I let him get away from me in the stable.”

Hatch remains hopeful Let’s Party Marty can make the grade in lead up races towards the Brisbane winter carnival.

“If he wins tomorrow, he’ll still head for the Prime Minister’s Cup,” Hatch said.

“So long as he pulls up well after each run I’ll raise the bar with him as we go.”

The Listed Prime Minister’s Cup will be run over 1400 metres at the Gold Coast on March 13, the same day as the QTIS Jewel races for two and three-year-olds. 

Let’s Party Marty showed a lot of promise early in his career when trained by David Vandyke and was nominated him for the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas in his three-year-old year.

He was later transferred to John Thompson but failed to win in six starts for the Sydney trainer before being moved on to Angela Plumb at the Gold Coast. 

He had six starts for Plumb - winning a 1400-metre Class 5 at the Gold Coast in February last year - before he bled at Eagle Farm last March. 

Kilner landed her first Saturday metropolitan win aboard the Bryan Dais-trained Glorious Ruby in the Two-Year-Old Classic at the Sunshine Coast last Saturday and Hatch is a confident she will do the job on Let’s Party Marty.

“He’s well-weighted with the claim so he should be hard to run down,” Hatch said.

“There doesn’t look to be a lot of pace in the race but he doesn’t have to lead.

“I booked Leah after I watched her win on Glorious Ruby in the big two-year-old race at the Sunshine Coast last week.

“I think she’s improved out of sight and she rated Glorious Ruby really well.”