Tony Gollan has big day out at Eagle Farm with treble

Tony Gollan derived great satisfaction from King Kapa’s win at Eagle Farm as the leading trainer enjoyed a winning treble.

King Kapa (blue and gold silks) gets the better of Spacewalk to win the Ascot Handicap at Eagle Farm. Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography

Brisbane’s premier trainer Tony Gollan capped a sensational day at Eagle Farm with victory in the Listed Daybreak Lover (1400m) as Boomtown Boss showcased his credentials for the upcoming Queensland Guineas.

Gollan also won the earlier Listed Ascot Handicap (1000m) with King Kapa, as well as a Benchmark 70 over 1200m with Floozie on a Good 4 track.

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The only downer was his stable star Antino placing 11th in the Group All Aged Stakes at Randwick, more than five lengths behind winner Jimmysstar, which was run just before his Daybreak Lover success.

Gollan credited keeping King Kapa “ticking over” as the major factor behind his stunning success in a thrilling Ascot Handicap.

King Kapa ($7) edged out race favourite Wanda Rox ($4), with Spacewalk ($7) filling out the minor places, in the $160,000 sprint.

“I’m absolutely thrilled. He never leaves the stable this horse,” Gollan said about King Kapa, one of his five runners out of 11 in the Ascot.

“He’s a bugger on the trucks. We just play about with him on a treadmill after he races.

“If you had of said a year ago he’d still be even racing now, let alone winning stakes races, I would’ve said ‘you’re joking’.

“I said to the owners in the summer ‘there’s no point spelling him, if we spell him we may as well retire him’ so we just keep ticking him along and here we are winning an Ascot Handicap. It’s a very strong edition today as well.”

👑 King Kapa wins the Listed Ascot Quality and that's a double to @tonygollan at Eagle Farm!@CejayGraham1 | @BrisRacingClubpic.twitter.com/rrDQIdtnVg

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 19, 2025

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Gollan is the third trainer to guide King Kapa after Toby Edmonds and Sydney’s Joe Pride and admits he thought it might have been the end of the road for the gelding last year.

“These sorts of horses always have their aches and pains here and there,” Gollan said of the six-year-old.

“I thought a year ago we were probably starting to get to the end of him. He was running out of form a little bit and he just wasn’t as fluent in his action as what he used to be.

“We decided to stick at him, keep him in the stable and keep working on him. Not spell him and let him start all over again, but just keep him in work and ticking over, very much what you see with European horses where they stay in work and don’t go out.

“That’s what we’ve done with him the whole time and he was Johnny on the spot as a fit horse today.

“That’s what won him the race – he’s a hard-fit horse against some of those other horses still coming up in their preparations and he’s got away with another stakes race.”

Boom! 💥

Boomtown Boss wins the Listed Daybreak Lover at Eagle Farm, giving @tonygollan his third winner for the day!@emilyyplang | @BrisRacingClubpic.twitter.com/bcIMhsy04D

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 19, 2025

In the Daybreak Lover, rising apprentice Emily Lang jagged her first Listed triumph aboard Boomtown Boss – two weeks after winning a 1200m Handicap race aboard the three-year-old gelding at the same track.

She took an inside run on Boomtown Boss ($4.30) to finish ahead of the charging Goodlucktome ($3.70), with Miss Busslinger ($30) in third.

“He’s been a real slow burn this horse but he’s got a stack of ability,” Gollan said.

“He needs to get into his rhythm early and let him relax the best he can and then persevere so he can finish strongly in the second half of the race.

“I thought he was just as impressive today in a better race than what he was two weeks ago.

“It’s onwards and upwards now to the Queensland Guineas (a Group 2 over 1600m at Eagle Farm on May 3). He’s shown me everything in spades at the moment.”

Originally published as Tony Gollan has big day out at Eagle Farm with treble