“Prince of the Polytrack” launching a training career

By Jordan Gerrans

A galloper dubbed the “Prince of the Polytrack” is helping launch the training career of learning horseman Tony Georgieff.

Since the Sunshine Coast’s Polytrack was introduced to the Queensland racing scene in late November of last year, a gelding named Glock has been one of the biggest revelations on the new surface.

The son of Shooting To Win grabbed his third victory on the surface on Friday evening at Corbould Park, coming from just four attempts, and on the occasion Glock did not get the prize, he ran a gallant second.

The 35-year-old Georgieff is only a couple of years into his training journey, with the five-year-old bay gelding accounting for the majority of his seven career winners.

The electrician by trade is loving his experience training out of Deagon, floating his team in from his Bridgeman Downs property every morning.

“It is absolute joy to jump up out of bed to play with them rather than hitting the tools straight away,” Georgieff said.

The up-and-coming trainer does not come from a racing background and has been mentored by a pair of Group 1-winning trainers at Eagle Farm over the last few years.

He did not want to buy shares in gallopers or become a stable hand, Georgieff just wanted to pick up as much knowledge as he could.

“I went to Rob Heathcote’s place six or seven years ago wanting to get involved at a stable,” he recalled.

“I wanted to help out and learn, put in, a couple of mornings a week saddling horses – funnily enough the first horse I put a saddle on was Buffering.

“I learnt what to do there and I spent some time around Kelly Schweida, as well.

“I still give those guys a call if I have dilemmas or questions about what I am doing with my horses. I am all for listening, you just have to listen to the right people.”

The Georgieff barn collected their first ever victory with Miss Daiquiri at Beaudesert in 2020 before Glock has become the stable star on the Polytrack.

The new all-weather Polytrack at the Sunshine Coast was a key element of a $8.9 million upgrade at the track, which also included important irrigation and drainage works at Corbould Park.

With an array of South East Queensland meetings transferred to the Polytrack in recent weeks, it has become front and centre for the racing industry.

And, Glock is just one of a number of gallopers who have enjoyed racing on the Polytrack.

The “Prince of the Poly” started his career with Group 1-winning Warwick Farm-based trainer Steve Englebrecht and that is where Georgieff believes his gelding found his touch on the surface.

Glock looked to be struggling to pick up leader Spirit House in the final stages of the 1000-metre Benchmark 62 Handicap on Friday night but he found enough late to sneak up the fence and score.

“As Ben Thompson alluded to the first time we raced on the Polytrack with Ben on him, he realised he was with Steve and thought that he would have been on the Polytrack a lot at Warwick Farm,” he said.

“Growing up, he might have been on that the whole time.

“He would have been trained on it – that is the only thing that we can come up with as to why he is racing so well on the Polytrack.”

Race caller Josh Fleming made special mention of Glock’s affinity with the surface post-race.

“He loves it, doesn’t he just love the Poly,” Fleming said.

“I reckon Tony would have been giggling when they transferred this meeting to the Polytrack. He loves the track here.”

The $35,000 purchase has been an excellent pick-up for the fledgling stable.

“The reason I bought him was that he just tried and tried and tried in his races down south,” he said.

“He never had enough favours in his runs and I thought he would try up here then that’s half the battle won. The apprentices have done a cracking job for me so far in their rides.”

While Georgieff has found the winning touch at Caloundra with Glock, he may look to move on the gelding in the coming months as he has some babies coming through his stable that he will concentrate on.

Georgieff is hopeful of establishing a bigger stable with more horses in the coming years but in the interim is happy focussing on his work as a sparky and dabbling with a few runners.