Brereton makes Weetwood Handicap appearance on AFL Grand Final day

Dermott Brereton’s feats on Grand Final day will be told for generations and Tony Gollan is hoping his namesake can enjoy just a fraction of the success he did in Toowoomba on Saturday.

Dermott Brereton made his name as one of the toughest players to take the field in an AFL grand final and trainer Tony Gollan is hoping his namesake can show just a fraction of those fighting qualities to land the famous Weetwood Handicap at Toowoomba on Saturday.

Brereton was a five-time premiership winner during a storied career at Hawthorn in the 80s and famously played a starring role in the 1989 Grand Final despite suffering broken ribs early in the contest.

• BET LIKE A PRO: Get expert selections from Racenet’s team of professional punters

Rosemont Stud named their $1m yearling purchase after him in 2019 before he made his way to Gollan’s Eagle Farm stables, where he should be unbeaten as a Queenslander.

Gollan can see the irony of starting Brereton in one of his favourite races on AFL Grand Final day and said he was the type of horse he looked out for when it came to selecting his Weetwood team.

Brereton fights back to win Race 3 at Doomben! @tonygollanpic.twitter.com/c3GX7ROPrp

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) August 3, 2024

• Wilson-Taylor to bypass Weetwood for ride down south

“You need a decent horse to win it for starters, particularly if you are a visitor because the locals have a distinct advantage,” Gollan said.

“Like all these country sprints, it is always better to be down the bottom of the weights rather than up the top end.

“Brereton should be unbeaten in Queensland really, he will be a real chance in the race.

“I have had some luck with (Rosemont’s) second-hand horses, so I love getting them and doing a job for them, they only send ones up that they think can race well in Queensland.”

Toowoomba born and raised, Gollan grew up dreaming of winning Weetwoods and finally broke through last year after years of heartbreak.

He said while it wasn’t the biggest race on the calendar, it meant more than most to Toowoomba people.

Brereton has enjoyed a golden run in Queensland. Picture: Grant Peters — Trackside Photography.

• Clinton Payne’s Golden Rose tips, runner-by-runner analysis

Gollan has a four-strong attack in the race, with Hidden Wealth, Rockribbed and Situation Room also entered.

“It is a bigger race for us than what it is on the racing calendar,” Gollan said.

“It is Toowoomba’s biggest race and I am former local, it is one of those races you just want to win.

“You start thinking about your Weetwood team during the winter, which ones you might back off for a race like this or which ones are ready to step up.

“I find it hard to do this one and the summer, so it is horses for courses.

“I don’t really want a 100-plus rater going up there because it is a one-off race in the spring.

“All of ours are on-pace handy horses who have won at the distance, so it is a really open race.”

• Clinton Payne’s Manikato Stakes tips, runner-by-runner analysis

While the presence of local hope Yellow Brick looms large, Gollan is very bullish of again lowering his colours after knocking him off as a $1.45 favourite 12 months ago.

“Yellow Brick is a local horse so it is a bit different for him, he is there because of a setback in Sydney and came back, so I would say this is a bit of an afterthought for them,” he said.

“I’m sure when they were doing their winter stuff, this wasn’t in their thinking because they were going to Sydney.

“He is the quality horse, but he is carrying the quality horse’s weight, that is what is great with these handicaps when all of ours are right down in the weights.”

Originally published as Brereton makes Weetwood Handicap appearance on AFL Grand Final day