Pizzazz needed to be King Of The Mountain

By Danny Matthews (Racing & Sports)

Tony Gollan concedes that the set weights and penalties conditions of the King Of The Mountain slightly dents his confidence in snaring the second edition, but having set All That Pizzazz for the New Year's Day feature, and with the horse having proven himself at the track, all hope is not lost.

Toowoomba plays host to the $750,000 1200-metre event in which the inaugural edition was won by local trainers Tony and Maddysen Sears with Yellow Brick on December 31, 2022.

Moved to now be a January 1 feature for 2024 and beyond, the race has been in Gollan's sights for this four-year-old gelding especially after a successful trip to the course in September winning the Listed Weetwood Handicap (1200m) beating Yellow Brick that day.

Allotted 58-kilos with Queensland's leading jockey James Orman in the saddle, All That Pizzazz has two-kilos less than race favourite Rothfire.

"He's going to have to be a giant killer," Gollan said of All That Pizzazz.

"We don't get in as well in the weights as the favourite, there's no doubt, though we do get in a lot better than most.

"Just not as well as him."

All That Pizzazz rattled home to win the Listed Bribie Handicap (1000m) at Eagle Farm on December 9.

"This has always been my target race," Gollan added of the Toowoomba feature.

"The reasoning to go to the Weetwood and back off him was to always go there and see how he handles Toowoomba as it is very horses for courses.

"He did, and got it done against a local that is a very handy horse.

"We go there now and face Rothfire who hasn't been there before, but he is an adaptable and good sprinter and I can't see why he wouldn't be hard to beat."

However, Gollan is happy with drawing barrier eight with what he expects to a race of early speed pressure.

"He is a giant killer, this horse," he added.

"He's not big in stature but he does things well.

"He's a real winner."

Having won two of his last three starts, and having finished outside of the quinella placings only once in five runs this preparation so far, All That Pizzazz is at $3.80 for the King Of The Mountain with Rothfire the $1.70 favourite.