Tony Gollan fillies face big test against favourite Dushenka in QTIS 2YO Handicap at Doomben

A pair of Tony Gollan fillies will have their first starts at Doomben on Saturday against an impressive debut winner who rolled a $1.14 favourite.

Tony Gollan is double teaming a two-year-old Doomben race with a pair of rookie fillies, but a rival jockey warns they will have to be pretty good to topple impressive debut winner Dushenka.

Gollan has unraced juveniles Boomshanka ($2.20) and Making News ($5.50) in the QTIS 2YO Handicap (1200m) and said there is little between them, although Boomshanka has had the benefit of an extra jumpout.

There was little between Boomshanka and Making News in a 1000m Doomben trial on January 16, finishing first and second respectively with just half a length separating them.

Making News, a $220,000 daughter of North Pacific, led up but was nabbed in the final stages by Boomshanka, a $110,000 daughter of elite sire Spirit Of Boom.

• Tony Gollan pair on Group 1 Melbourne missions

On Saturday, both are conceding race experience to Stuart Kendrick-trained filly Dushenka, who won by more than two lengths on debut at Eagle Farm and in the process beat raging $1.14 favourite Space Rider.

Dushenka causes an upset in the 2YO race at Eagle Farm!

Space Rider at $1.12 doesn't run a place... 😳@[e-mail]/gghr7CyEIq

— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) January 18, 2025

Kyle Wilson-Taylor rode Kendrick’s filly on debut and feels she can remain unbeaten on Saturday.

Dushenka is a $2.40 chance.

“Everyone seemed the think the favourite would win her debut race, but this filly trialled really well and backed it up at the races,” Wilson-Taylor said.

“When you look at her, she looks like a proper racehorse.

“She won well running away from them on debut and I feel she should improve from it.

“If they do beat her on Saturday, they will have to be pretty good I reckon.”

However, Gollan is optimistic his pair will be in the finish, with his only nagging doubt the task of 1200m at their first time at the races.

He will be eyeing both of them off as potential Queensland winter carnival prospects.

“Boomshanka is a nice Spirit Of Boom filly and she had a grass jumpout before her trial, so she is a little bit more advanced than the other filly (Making News),” Gollan said.

Stuart Kendrick-trained filly Dushenka winning on debut at Eagle Farm in January. Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography

“But the other filly is just a real professional.

“She got a little bit tired in that trial but she has had a couple of weeks now to get over that and improve off it.

“They work together and there’s not much between them to be fair.

“Making News has kept improving and has got herself to a point where she is ready for the races.

“I always think 1200m for two year olds on their first day out is always a bit tricky, but it’s the right sort of race to kick them off in.

“With these sorts of horses it is a good time to kick them off, then you can look at the winter carnival if they shape up well enough.”

• Loy poised for shock comeback after ‘giving up the beers’

Boomshanka has the benefit of the better barrier (4) while Making News has drawn the outside barrier eight.

But Gollan isn’t worried about the barrier for Making News.

“It only a small field and Making News appears to have good gate speed, she can get out and put herself into a spot,” Gollan said.

“Both of these horses are nice horses.

“They are both there to run well and hopefully one of them can win.”

Originally published as Tony Gollan fillies face big test against favourite Dushenka in QTIS 2YO Handicap at Doomben