Lindsay Hatch aims to grab a second Weetwood Handicap

By Jordan Gerrans

The time-honoured Weetwood Handicap is always front of mind for trainers on the Darling Downs and Lindsay Hatch’s breakthrough victory in the famous race is a day he will never forget.

It was the now retired Jadentom who swept down the Clifford Park outside to claim the prized Toowoomba race back in 2020.

Despite being a leading horseman at the track for some time, Jadentom’s triumph was Hatch’s maiden runner in the Listed event.

The in-form stable of Hatch believe a home track advantage might just be pivotal towards claiming a second Weetwood this Saturday afternoon with Wham.

Even if Wham does salute on Saturday, it will be hard to top Jadentom’s win.

The mare was owned by Hatch’s wife Tracey in her racing days and was named after their children Jade and Tom.

“It was probably a day I will never forget,” Hatch said sitting in his Clifford Park stable on Monday morning of Weetwood week.

“My wife owned the horse and my two kids were there on the day.

“To win your local sprint – it is very hard to do – and there is trainers who have been in Toowoomba all their lives and they have never won one.

“It was an absolute cracker of a day and it is something I will never forget.”

The $150,000 Weetwood for 2022 has attracted a strong field with the Hatch-trained gelding – Wham – fresh off a decent effort in town earlier last month, filling a minor placing behind Tumbler Ridge in Open Handicap company.

The eight-time career winner has a good record on his home track – winning one and being placed on another occasion – and Hatch believes those statistics could be key come Saturday afternoon over 1200 metres.

“Wham is a Saturday class horse,” Hatch said.

“He has measured up and has won a few in town this time through.

“I just thought, banking on his experience at the Toowoomba track, he has won a couple of impressive races here, even though they were restricted lower graded races on the way through.

“He goes good at the track and if he can pick up a few lengths from the home town advantage, he will be in the finish for sure.

“He is a nice horse and he is going terrific.”

The Hatch barn has an outstanding reputation for preparing apprentice jockeys – including Kyle Wilson-Taylor and Angela Jones in recent seasons – and they have recently taken on youngster Jake Molloy.

While Molloy will not get the booking on Saturday afternoon on the metropolitan occasion, he does partner Wham on most mornings, as well as the yard’s Toowoomba Cup hopeful Sayl.

The 22-year-old Molloy likes Wham’s chances as the leading hope for the stable to win a feature this week.

“It is hard to split them both but I will have to lean to Wham, I like him as a horse and he is very competitive,” Molloy said.

“He always tries his hardest in every run he puts in.

“I like Sayl as well but I have a feeling about Wham for this Saturday.”

Big grey stayer Sayl will carry the stable’s hopes in the 2000 metre Cup not long after a recent North Queensland sojourn.

He collected a Mackay Cup during his time away, while also finishing third in the Townsville Cup at Cluden Park not long after.

While it was a magnificent trip away, Sayl disappointed in his return effort to South East Queensland, running almost 20 lengths behind the winner, also in a race taken out by Tumbler Ridge.

Hatch thinks that if the Sayl that performed in North Queensland across their carnival turns up at Clifford Park on Saturday, he is the team’s leading chance to nab a feature.

“I brought him home from Townsville and gave him three weeks at home in the paddock so he could have his head down in a nice grass paddock,” Hatch said.

“We got him back in and I was absolutely shattered in his last run over a mile, he was ordinary.

“His attitude was not real good then and it knocked me around more than anything because I was pretty confident going into the Toowoomba Cup.

“We have to put that behind us as we got a complete vet done on him and he is in great nick and he is the Sayl we have known.

“We now need to put the Doomben run behind us and go into the Cup with plenty of confidence.

“If the Sayl we know turns up, then he will be very hard to beat this Saturday.”

Despite only running third in the Townsville Cup, Hatch believes if Sayl can repeat that run, he will certainly be a winning chance on Saturday.

Molloy says the stable will be sending two content horses to the Darling Downs’ premier races this Saturday.

“They are very hard races but I think they will be pretty competitive in them,” Molloy said.

“They have both been working well and they are very happy horses.”

The Hatch stable is set to be well represented across the nine event program on Saturday.