Breakwater Boy resumes at Warwick ahead of North Queensland campaign

By Glenn Davis

Trainer Lindsay Hatch has closed his Townsville satellite stable but he still plans to be a major player during the Northern Queensland Winter Carnival this year.

Hatch, who is based at Toowoomba, opened a small stable in Townsville last year but due to the hot weather decided it was not viable and closed it six weeks ago.

However, Hatch is already targeting the winter racing in the north and will head to Warwick on Tuesday with Breakwater Boy who is being aimed at the North Queensland Guineas.

Hatch won the North Queensland Guineas last year with No Going Back.

Breakwater Boy will be aiming to maintain his unbeaten record for the Hatch stable when the gelding steps out in the QTIS Three-Year-Old Benchmark 62 Handicap over 800 metres.

The son of Headwater was originally trained in Townsville by Chris Attard but since being moved on to Hatch has won his only two starts at Toowoomba.

Breakwater Boy won on debut for the stable in a Benchmark race at Toowoomba in October and has not started since a dominant win in a similar race over 1300 metres at Toowoomba in mid-November.

“He’s a highly promising three-year-old and he’ll have his next run at the city midweeks at Toowoomba before he goes up north,” Hatch said.

“He’s our Townsville Guineas horse this year and he’ll head up for the Rocky, Mackay and Townsville Guineas.

“I’ve got four or five going to Rockhampton and the rest will go to Townsville for the winter.”

Breakwater Boy is raced in a large syndicate including Ayres Racing and has a 50 per cent winning strike rate with three wins from only six starts.

“He should be very hard to beat first up and I feel Matt Kropp’s (Al Pal’s Gal) is the one to beat,” Hatch said.

“I’ve got three others running at Warwick and Xtravagant Party should go close in the Maiden Handicap in which I’ve also got Egalite running.”

Xtravagant Party has started only once, finishing a close fourth behind the Ken Jones-trained Point Break in a 1000-metre maiden at Toowoomba on March 11.

Stable apprentice Jake Molloy will ride Xtravagant Party and Breakwater Boy as well as another Hatch runner, Dragon Points in the Ratings Band 0-55 Handicap over 1350 metres.