All But Gone expected to improve in Provincial Championships heat
DESPITE finishing towards the tail of the field at his most recent start, Wyong trainer Damien Lane is confident his promising gelding All But Gone can make amends at Kembla Grange this Thursday when it contests the Provincial Championships qualifier over 1400m.
The five-year-old was back in the field and never got into the race at Wyong on February 23, which was an earlier heat of the Provincial Championships series.
However, Lane feels Thursday’s race is much more suitable for All But Gone.
“Wyong was never going to be his track because he is a genuine back marker,” Lane told Horse Betting.
“He got back and he still hasn’t got out yet – he got into all sorts of trouble and couldn’t get a run.
“The track at Kembla Grange suits him much better and the wet track will help him as well.”
Lane is also hopeful that spacing his charge’s runs will help him hit the line this week and says despite drawing awkwardly in barrier 17, the heavy track puts All But Gone back in contention.
“We have tried to keep him fresh – that’s how he likes to race and although he will start from an ordinary gate he will go back at the start anyway so it’s not the worst thing in the world.
“The track conditions are probably the best thing going for him at the moment – he is two from two on a heavy track and both wet tracks that he has won on were probably borderline being called off.”
A winner of five of his 15 starts, All But Gone has turned into a bargain buy for Lane, who races the bay with his partner Kate Law.
Lane bought the son of Haradasun and Ionica as a $1,200 yearling, with a win in Thursday’s feature set to take his prize money earnings beyond $178,000.
Despite his cheap price tag, Lane says All But Gone is a classy individual who is capable of mixing it with the best horses in the Provincial Championships series.
“He won the Country Cup at Scone where he beat a good quality field – there was genuine speed on and he came from well back and put them away really well,” Lane said.
“That showed me that he is up to this class level – he has just got to carry the 59 kilos this Thursday.
“He is probably giving away a bit of weight to a couple of the other horses – Kristen Buchanan’s horse Echo Effect is a really nice horse and he likes the wet track as well so he is the definite danger.
“But we are going there hoping for genuine speed and if he can get an uninterrupted run I think he will be hitting the line really well.
“A top three finish would be perfect for us – just to have a runner in the final would be great.
“Back markers can get beat just through bad luck, but Kembla Grange is a nice big track so he should get a chance.
“I am happy with the horse – he should run well.”
The top three from Thursday’s qualifier will progress through to the $400,000 Provincial Championships final which will be run and won at Royal Randwick on April 8.
The Provincial Championships qualifier is race six at Scone this Thursday and is set to jump at 4.25pm.
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