Go Wandji set to stamp authority

By Glenn Davis

Trainer Tom Dougall will be hopeful Go Wandji can keep Toowoomba in the national spotlight when the gelding attempts back-to-back wins at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Go Wandji scored a stunning win at Doomben last month to take his record to four wins and two placings from only six starts.

The four-year-old heads back to the city for only the third time in his short career when he lines up in the Class 3 Plate over 1400 metres.

Toowoomba has been in the national gaze in recent months thanks mostly to Caulfield Cup winner Incentivise who finished second to champion mare Verry Elleegant in Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup.

The Peter Moody-trained Incentivise was previously prepared by Steve Tregea at Toowoomba winning six straight including the Group 3 Tatt’s Cup at Eagle Farm in June.

He then transferred to Moody winning three Group 1 wins in succession in the Makybe Diva, Turnbull Stakes and Caulfield Cup before pulling up lame after his gutsy Melbourne Cup effort.

Dougall is not getting carried away with the early hype on Go Wandji but takes great pride in how the son of Cox Plate winner Shamus Award is progressing.

“It’s good for the place here at Toowoomba to see Incentivise go so well in the south,” Dougall said.

“Go Wandji is a nice horse but he’s no Incentivise just yet.

“He’s got to keep improving as he goes through the grades and I’m sure he’ll run a lot further, possibly past 1600 metres.”

Dougall has retained Larry Cassidy to ride Go Wandji despite carrying 59kgs under the race’s set weight conditions.

“It never crossed my mind to claim on her,” he said.

Go Wandji was heavily backed in his recent Doomben win despite being beaten at his previous start in a lowly benchmark race at Warwick in October.

Since the Doomben triumph, Dougall has fielded offers from overseas and at home to buy the four-year-old.

He was bought by Dougall’s father, John, for only $20,000 at the Scone Inglis sale in 2019.

“We’ve had a few offers including from Hong Kong but it’s up to Dad whether he wants to sell him,” he said.

Go Wandji has drawn barrier three in the field of seven which initially raised some concerns.

“He’s one of those horses who likes being drawn wide because he’s such a big horse,” Dougall said.

“It’s only a small field so the alley is not a defining factor.

“He’s pulled up well after his Doomben win but he’s still learning so for the time being we’ll just go through the grades with him.”