Tony Gollan laps up Amexed’s win in the Caloundra Cup

TONY Gollan was getting plenty of weird glances as he started shouting at his mobile phone while sipping a mojito by the poolside in Bali as his stayer Amexed charged to victory on Saturday.

Robbie Fradd salutes after Amexed charges to victory in the Caloundra Cup. Picture: Grant Peters

TONY Gollan was getting plenty of weird glances as he started shouting at his mobile phone while sipping a mojito by the poolside in Bali.

Brisbane’s leading trainer was in his board shorts and was live streaming the Caloundra Cup on his phone when Amexed hit the front.

Gollan also had another reason to cheer — he had backed the one-time troublesome stayer at $21. Brisbane record-setter Gollan and wife Jane are in Bali on their annual holiday.

“I streamed the race to my phone and people at the Beach Club were looking at me very strangely when I started cheering like a madman,” Gollan told The Sunday Mail. “To be honest, I thought he would win if he ran at his best and I wasn’t worried about anything else in the race.

“He has had a stack of little things go wrong with him over the last couple of years but I always knew he had the ability. The mojitos are tasting even better now.”

Amexed, ridden by former South African champion Robbie Fradd, was as sensational as the $1.50 Cup favourite Maurus was disappointing.

David Vandyke’s stayer ran a lacklustre fifth and the trainer was offering no excuses, despite Maurus getting into a bumping duel with second favourite Index Linked.

“I thought he was very disappointing,” Vandyke said, after watching several replays. “It is interesting that he has now had two goes at 2400m and has gone no good on both occasions. But there is no excuses there from me.”

Tony Gollan and his wife Jane toast Amexed’s win from the pool in Bali.

Toowoomba trainer Michael Nolan proved he was Nostradamus when he predicted the day before the Cup that Jumbo Prince would run second.

Although he thought Jumbo Prince would run second to Maurus.

“I am still happy to run second and I thought he did a very good job,” Nolan said, after Jumbo Prince had his first crack at a 2400m staying test.

Five-year-old Amexed has now won twice in a fortnight and Gollan’s assertion he is the best stayer that he has trained looks on the money. He is likely to press onto the Grafton Cup later this month.

“I always thought he was a good horse, from the time he won the Rough Habit as a three-year-old and then ran well in the Derby,” Gollan said. “But we have had a stack of problems with him over the last two years.

Tony Gollan was confident Amexed would run well on Saturday. Picture: Grant Peters

“They were the little one percenters. For instance, he would get a virus and then come back from that and then hit himself with a hock.

“I was always trying to get him right and it was a bit frustrating at times. He just couldn’t catch a break but I am so pleased that everything has started to go right for him.”

It has been a big few days for Gollan who last Wednesday broke his own Brisbane metropolitan training record when Hi I’m Back saluted at Doomben.

Originally published as Tony Gollan laps up Amexed’s win in the Caloundra Cup