Tony Gollan banks on Barbie’s Sister formlines to break three-year Sydney drought

Tony Gollan is set to travel an army of fit horses to Sydney and Brisbane in the early part of the spring, with Barbie’s Sister the first to try and break a run of outs in the Harbour City on Saturday.

Barbie’s Sister returns to racing at Randwick on Saturday after a lengthy break. Picture: Natasha Wood/Trackside Photography

Tony Gollan is banking on a pre-Christmas stakes race to hold the right formlines for his gun filly Barbie’s Sister as he looks to break a three-year drought in Sydney at Randwick on Saturday.

Barbie’s Sister hasn’t been seen at the races since winning the Listed Calaway Gal in her second start in December, in what seemed an innocuous victory at the time, however it is what has come out of the race that has peaked Gollan’s interest.

Runner up El Morzilo has gone on to be arguably Queensland’s best two-year-old of the season, running well at Group 1 and 2 level in Sydney and Brisbane.

While Barbie’s Sister has been rehabbing from a minor knee injury, Gollan says Saturday’s 2YO Handicap (1100m) at Randwick is the perfect launching pad for his filly as he looks to get a guide of where she is at.

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“Even though it is just a Saturday handicap race, every race in Sydney is so strong at two-year-old level, but if she does run well it gives me options to go to Melbourne maybe or stay in Sydney for a better race,” he said.

“If she doesn’t measure up, we just come back and race in the QTIS races in Brisbane as a three-year-old.

“The form out of the race she won at Eagle Farm is pretty good, that’s the El Morzillo form, they ran a lot quicker than the boys on that day, about a second and a half quicker.

“It didn’t look a good race on the day, but the time on the day and form out of it tells me it was a good two-year-old race.

“She has had two 1000m jumpouts or trials to get ready for this, she really has had a lovely prep so it allows me to go down confident she can race well.”

Tommy Berry will be in the saddle of Barbie’s Sister on Saturday. Picture: Natasha Wood/Trackside Photography

Barbie’s Sister was considered one of the leading contenders for the Magic Millions following her Calaway Gal win, however Gollan was keen to nurse her through until she was back at full fitness.

The 10-time champion trainer hasn’t won a race in Sydney since March 2021 when Isotope won the Darby Munro Stakes and says he is not taking the challenge lightly, with Godolphin hot pot Tarpaulin an odds-on favourite.

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“The Godolphin horse is a short-priced favourite and they tend to race to their mark, I think where (Barbie’s Sister) is in the market reflects where she is at, she is a genuine $4.50-$5 chance,” Gollan said.

“We wanted to give her enough time after that minor injury, there was no point rushing her.

“It is tough going on young horses, racing them pre Christmas like she was, you don’t know how they will come out of it.

“You’d prefer not to have had the injury she did, it was only minor, but we would have pressed on to the Magic Millions and then who knows how things would have gone from there?”

Barbie’s Sister is an easing $5 chance with TAB.

Originally published as Tony Gollan banks on Barbie’s Sister formlines to break three-year Sydney drought