Hammersley beats rain with top ride
Jockey Paul Hammersley produced the ride of the day on Tisani Tomso at a soggy Doomben.
The Doomben meeting has been abandoned after five races due to constant drizzle but not before the ride of the day by jockey Paul Hammersely in the main race.
A jockeys delegation went to stewards after the Daniel Bullimore Handicap on Saturday and complained that visibility was deteriorating rapidly.
Chief steward Daniel Aurisch said the main concern was two more races of 15 runners were scheduled.
“It wasn’t worth the risk and jockey safety should alway be paramount,” Aurisch said.
Earlier, Hammersely’s decision to defy the day’s trend and stick to the fence gave Tisani Tomso an overdue win in Brisbane.
Tisani Tomso has been a great money-spinner for Toowoomba trainer Kevin Kemp, taking his prize money to $358,000 by winning the Daniel Bullimore Open (1200m).
Tisani Tomso had not won in Brisbane since October 2015.
“I knew if I kept coming back he would win one down here eventually. Gee, he has been great for us and that was his 11th win. I would like a few more like him,” Kemp said.
Tisani Tomso will be set on the trail to give Kemp a chance of a fifth win in the Toowoomba Weetwood in April.
“Every trainer in Toowoomba wants to win the Weetwood and it has been a great race for me,” Kemp said.
He has previous won the premier Darling Downs sprint with Tellem (twice), Startell and Kempelly.
Tiasni Tomso ($5.50) never left the fence to beat Boomwaa ($3) by 1-3/4 lengths, with 1-3/4 lengths to Stella Ombra ($3.90) in third.
Almost all the jockeys had steered away from the fence on a very heavy track but Hammersley ignored the pattern.
“No one had been there all day except for the third horse in the first race who made ground. I figured if he continued to travel strongly (I would) stay there and that is how it worked out,” Hammersely said