HORSE RACING - KEMBLA GRANGE
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Kembla trainer Gwenda Markwell might want to revisit plans to take Man of Colours on a Queensland crusade this autumn.
The three-year-old made light work of a reduced field in a Class Two (1400m) on Saturday to provide Markwell with the first of four wins at Kembla Grange.
The premiership-winning trainer followed it up with victories to Turf Speedie (race four), Rock On Up (race five) and Steerage (race eight).
But Man Of Colours's performance was the clear standout.
Markwell had considered Queensland an option for the gelding early in the preparation before an underwhelming run in Wagga a fortnight ago.
But Saturday's performance could put the trip north back on the table, with the trainer refusing to rule out a smash-and-grab trip to the Sunshine State.
Stable hoop Scott Pollard shed a little more light on the situation.
"He is very, very untapped. He still has so much learning to do but the sky is the limit at the moment," Pollard said.
"Gwenda thought she would take him to Brisbane for the carnival but he is just not mentally ready. He will probably have a couple of runs and then come back a very handy horse.
"He is probably a bit better than Saturday grade."
Pollard was handed few favours in the run after coming out of the barriers at the rear of the field.
Caught three wide, he opted to push forward just off the speed of Peter and Paul Snowden-trained filly Truly Ready.
And the gelding found plenty in the straight to oust the pacesetter with the fast finishing Kyoto racing home to round out the placings.
"He is a nice horse. He is still very green and very new but has a lot of raw ability. He won then on raw ability," Pollard said.
"It was a smaller field today and he was on his home track so he was probably a little bit more comfortable than he was at Wagga.
"He had no luck early. He was stuck three wide and then a horse decided to go forward and give him something to chase. He proved too good in the end."
Pollard said there was a close call with late scratching Roman Desire in the barriers.
"The horse in the barriers right next to him flipped over and its legs faced the opposite way next to him. The horse next to it got scratched so if he had've faced our way we would have got scratched."
Punters were left feeling a sense of deja vu shortly after when Pollard and Markwell combined for a winning double in the following race with Turf Speedie before Rock On Up made it a hat-trick and Steerage added the gravy.