McCall looking to Colour Charge to step up

Consistent gelding Colour Charge has shaken off his injury problems and is set to propel his trainer Natalie McCall back into the limelight at Eagle Farm.

A last-start Sunshine Coast winner, Colour Charge makes his metropolitan open company debut in Saturday’s Spring Carnival Hcp (1830m).

He has been consistent for McCall having won seven races and been placed a further seven times in his 29 start career.

McCall won the 2014 Group One Stradbroke Handicap with River Lad and also had considerable success with Lady Echelon.

However, with both horses now out of the stable, McCall has been low key with city runners and is gradually rebuilding her team.

“After River Lad left me he had stints with the Snowdens in Sydney and Kris Lees in Newcastle but he is retired now. Lady Echelon is also retired but they were both very good to me,” McCall said.

“We are only a small stable so when you lose a few good horses it takes a while to replace them. Things have been going OK this season and I am looking forward to having more city runners.”

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“When we wanted to build the team I had a chat to Scott McAlpine at Eureka Stud and he suggested we take Colour Charge who is by his sire Red Dazzler. We gave $40,000 for him but he has more than repaid that,” McCall said.

She believes Colour Charge is now ready to confirm his potential in better class.

“He had a lot of injury problems early in his career and that is why he is a six-year-old who has had only 29 starts. But there haven’t been any problems of late and he is ready to show his best,” McCall said.

She is confident Colour Charge will handle the new look Eagle Farm on Saturday although she doesn’t want the track to be too wet.

Colour Charge has drawn barrier 11 on Saturday but it has not been a disadvantage to be away from the rails at Eagle Farm in the months since it re-opened after renovations.

McCall has also been helping her father, trainer Ray McCall, who has been in ill health in recent months.

“Since Christmas Dad has been very sick but they think they may have found what it is now and we are looking forward to him improving,” she said.

Ray McCall is best known for training Top Echelon who went on to sire River Lad.

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