Flying Wallace stable remains under the radar

By Jordan Gerrans

Hidden away at Westbrook on the Darling Downs is one of the most in-form stables in the Sunshine State.

Paul Wallace is not a household name in the training ranks in Queensland in 2023 but he has returned with emphasis after a lengthy spell away from the industry.

The Toowoomba conditioner is striking at 27.5 percent this season, which dates back to August 1 of last year, from 51 starters.

He is going at 45.1 percent when it comes to his runners finishing in the top three.

If you focus on the results since the calendar has ticked over to 2023, they are even better again.

He has started 29 horses this year, producing 11 victories.

Since the start of April, he has taken 16 horses to the races – with eight getting the money.

“We are going alright, that is for sure,” he said with a smile on Monday morning.

He added another victory to the recent red-hot form on Saturday afternoon at Gatton when first-starter Speedy Grace was able to score on debut over the quick 860 metre trip.

While Wallace has been dominant around the country and provincial ranks, he will aim to make the step up to city company this Saturday at Caloundra when he puts Matilly’s undefeated status on the line.

The majority of Wallace’s recent success has been with young horses and Matilly is fast becoming his headline galloper.

The three-year-old filly is unbeaten in three tries and now heads to the QTIS Three-Year-Old Handicap at the Sunshine Coast over 1000 metres on Saturday.

The daughter of Aquis Farm's Kobayashi was commanding in her first two race day appearances and faces a sharp rise in grade on Caloundra Cup day.

“After she won at Toowoomba late last month, we gave her a week off and then we aimed for that,” Wallace said.

“We will see how we go. We will try our luck in town.”

While the Wallace stable is not one that has been up in lights in recent years, they are no strangers to the big stage.

In an earlier stint preparing gallopers, Wallace was successful with a galloper by the name of Drunken Joker in the Group 3 QTIS Doomben Classic for three-year-olds back in May of 2004.

Drunken Joker would eventually head to Melbourne to do his racing with champion Queensland export Peter Moody.

Wallace had a runner in town on Saturday - promising filly Flank Speed – but she missed the kick in the second event on the program and did not figure in the finish.

The Wallace barn did not have more than 45 runners in a season between 2008 and 2015 before the trainer eventually gave it away.

He stepped away from racing to run the John Deere dealership at Toowoomba before returning in the 2020-21 campaign.

He still works with John Deere but just not in such a time-demanding role so he can dabble with a few horses on the side.

Wallace has a property at Westbrook, which he initially thought would be used for spelling other trainers horses and that he could have a few in work, as well.

“It is good as we are only a small team and we do not have many horses,” he said.

“We are mucking around with a few ready to run horses for the sales – we did it last year and we will do it again this year – and when I first came here I thought we would be a spelling farm and just have a few horses in work to train to have something to do.

“We now have more race horses than spellers at the moment.”

The Westbrook property includes a 1400 metre track and a pool to swim them in.

He still heads into Clifford Park on most mornings to get the team worked for their gallops.

“It is a good environment for the horses, they are all eating well,” he said.

“We have got a pool that we have just concreted and filtered as well, we are pretty well self-contained.

“It is nice and quiet where we are and the horses have a good outlook.”

Almost of all of Wallace’s winners in recent months – Speedy Grace, Matilly, Flank Speed, Capitan De Seda and Ned's Gully - have come from young or lightly raced horses, which he says has not happened by chance.

He returned in the 2020-21 season and has slowly built back up since then.

The small Toowoomba barn are now starting to taste the fruits of their labour over the last couple of years.

“By the time you buy horses, educate them and break them in, all that stuff, it takes a while to get back to the track,” he said.

“Most of the horses I have now are for old clients or people I know, I am lucky that I know a few people and we are going well at the moment.”

Top rider Justin Stanley has provided Wallace six of his 11 winners this year, including the Gatton triumph on Saturday.

As well as Matilly heading to Caloundra on Saturday, Wallace also has three horses nominated to race at Clifford Park on Saturday night.