Laying down the Law: Tony Gollan improving southern impact with Magic Millions winner

The 10-time champion trainer is on a mission to improve his hit rate when he travels horses south for big carnivals, but is under no illusions as to the challenges that await his Magic Millions winner Skirt The Law in Victoria.

Skirt The Law will line up in the Quezette Stakes on Saturday. Picture: Grant Peters—Trackside Photography.

Tony Gollan is the undisputed premier trainer in Brisbane, but he knows he needs to step it up a level to be competitive during the spring carnival as he prepares to kick off his Magic Millions winner Skirt The Law in Melbourne on Saturday.

The 10-time champion trainer thinks he could have the best filly he has trained on his hands, but is under no illusions as to the challenges that await in Victoria, as she kicks off in the Group 3 Quezette Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield.

Gollan is a prolific winner in Queensland, but has had 157 stakes-level runners in Sydney and Melbourne for 12 winners and admits it is something he is aiming to improve, despite four of his six Group 1 winners coming interstate.

Skirt The Law misfired in Sydney following her Magic Millions triumph, however she pulled up sore, causing Gollan to pull the pin on a Golden Slipper campaign and aim up for the spring instead.

“These carnivals in Sydney or Melbourne are always strong, but you’d alway like to think the horses we take away can be really competitive,” Gollan said.

“I’d be surprised if the ones we are taking away don’t run up to their good form.

“She (Skirt The Law) is the Magic Millions winner and Antino is coming out of a strong winter.

“You’d always like to go better, they don’t give you races down there, but it is the area we’d like to improve upon, making sure we are taking the right horses away and hitting the board a bit more.

Ryan Maloney and Skirt The Law will again combine at Caulfield on Saturday. Picture: Jeremy Ng—Getty Images.

“We are under no illusions how hard these carnivals are but, like ours was this year, you need good horses and need things to go your way.”

Following his emotional drought-breaking Magic Millions triumph, Gollan hailed Skirt The Law as the best two-year-old he has trained, and sees no reason she can’t go on with it as she matures.

“She’s the best two-year-old I have had and she might end up being one of the best mares I have had, we don’t know yet,” he said.

“There’s no reason she can’t train on at three (years old) and beyond.

“We always wanted to give her a good break and get her up and going nice and early in the spring, that way we can work our way through the options depending on what distances she gets to.

“She has presented quite forward and fit and she races well off her runs spaced, she is like all horses resuming off a break, she will improve off her first run the Melbourne way.”

Premier Brisbane jockey Ryan Maloney will make the trip down from his short-term base in Sydney to ride Skirt The Law, after riding her in all four career starts to date delivering three wins before the last start failure in the Sweet Embrace Stakes at Randwick as a hot favourite but there were excuses.

Originally published as Laying down the Law: Tony Gollan improving southern impact with Magic Millions winner