Apache Chase yet to fulfil potential

By Glenn Davis

Trainer Desleigh Forster has warned star sprinter Apache Chase is yet to fulfill his potential as she contemplates heading to Sydney with the four-year-old for the $7.5 million Golden Eagle at Rosehill at the end of the month.

Apache Chase lived up to his brilliant Weetwood Handicap win at Toowoomba at his previous start with a sizzling performance to make it two wins from as many starts this campaign at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

The son of Better Than Ready showed during the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival he was well above average, winning the Group 3 Fred Best Classic before copping a battering in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap in June.

Forster was always confident Apache Chase was on target to maintain his unbeaten record this campaign when she suggested before Saturday’s win that he had gone to the next level following his Weetwood triumph.

Forster has had the Golden Eagle under consideration for some time but the current COVID-19 quarantine restrictions has weighed heavily on her mind.

“I’m pretty sure he’ll be going down now,” Forster told Radio Tab.

“Once he learns to relax and switches off, he’ll be a much better horse.”

Jockey Jim Byrne has been associated in four of Apache Chase’s seven wins and is also expected to make the trip south despite the strict quarantine restrictions when returning home.

“I’m pretty sure Jim will go down and we’ll sort it all out in the next couple of days,” Forster said.

Forster, who trains a small boutique stable at Eagle Farm, produced another career highlight with her first metropolitan treble on the day.

Apache Chase was the middle leg of her first city treble with also saw promising filly Exo Lady claim the Two-Year-Old Handicap while Boom Spender won the Benchmark 80 Handicap.

Apache Chase was a $50,000 buy at the Magic Millions sales at the Gold Coast in 2019 and has already returned his owner Michael Sherrin more than $870,000 in prize money.

The Golden Eagle carries a purse of $4.1 million to the winner.