Wallace follows gully to Clifford Park

By Jordan Gerrans

Heading to Clifford Park on Weetwood Handicap day has been part of Paul Wallace’s life for as long as he can recall.

Now 53 years of age and preparing a team of a touch over 20 gallopers on the Darling Downs, he remembers going to his first Weetwood before he was a teenager.

In the midst of relaunching his training career after a number of years away from the caper, the long-time Toowoomba local would dearly love to add a Weetwood title to his resume.

“It is always a hard race the Weetwood,” Wallace said while noting he watched the race in person for the first time when he was 12 years old.

“It is a good thrill to have a starter in a race like this as I have been around horses most of my life in this area.

“To have one race in the Weetwood, it is a big thing, and to win it – regardless if we do or do not – it is good just to have one in the race.”

Just as he did in 2023, Wallace presents with talented but temperamental sprinter Ned’s Gully in Toowoomba’s famous race.

The son of Bel Esprit contested the Listed feature last year, finishing eighth after never really working himself into the race as another Toowoomba product in Tony Gollan snared his maiden Weetwood.

More than 365 days on from the last Weetwood, Wallace thinks his bay gelding is in a much better position this time around to give the race a decent shake.

“It was a good run last year, but it was 12 months before he probably should have gone to the race in my opinion,” Wallace says.

“He raced well as we put him in the race for a bit of experience.

“He has definitely matured more but he is a hard horse to handle as he gets very worked up on race day.

“He is more mature in that way now than what he once was, which is a positive.

“In my mind, he is a lot fitter and better this time in and he should be ready for Saturday.”

In the time since last year's Weetwood, Ned’s Gully has won in town on a Saturday once as well as being placed at the level on two occasions. 

As of Friday morning, Ned’s Gully is a $23 chance with bookmakers to add to Wallace’s tally in black-type events in his career.

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.

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.

Since returning in the 2020-21 season, Wallace has claimed 43 races which has included multiple Saturday city winners as well as feature race starters.

He is loving being back around the sport he is passionate about.

“The spark was that I just wanted to get back to what I like doing,” he said.

“I pretty well had a high pressure job for a long time, looking after 100 odd staff at some stages.

“I just wanted to go back to doing what I like doing and that is what got me back doing it again.

“Once we bought this property, it has grown and I did not think I would get this big in terms of numbers in my stable but definitely it grew pretty quick.”

In the 2022-23 campaign alone, he prepared 17 winners at a strong strike rate of 27.4 percent.

When he returned to the industry, Wallace did not envision his stable growing as quick as it did.

He has 24 in work and will take 18 to the track every morning at Clifford Park.

The team have a track at their Toowoomba property which can be used, as well.

Ned’s Gully has had a couple of runs back from a break, with Wallace describing the efforts’ as ‘excellent’ in preparation for the Weetwood.

The Darling Downs conditioner targeted his star gelding at the Listed ATC Cup at Caloundra during the recent winter.

He was beaten almost three lengths on that occasion.

Asked if he believes Ned’s Gully is up to winning a black-type race at some stage in his career, Wallace thinks the horse has the ability.

“He would definitely need to have everything right in the race and go his way with alleys and what not,” he said.

“I have got no doubt that if everything is right on the day and in running, he could win a race like that and is up to it.”