Sir Truculent On Track For Superstayers Invitation

SOUTH Australia's staying star Sir Truculent will stay in Queensland under the training guidance of Tony Brett for the next few weeks.

The dog's breeder, owner and trainer Wally Harkins sent the son of Worm Burner and Establish to Brett last Friday after being invited into this Thursday night's Group 3 Superstayers (710m) four-dog invitation.

He will clash with Five Star, Maggie Moo Moo and Zipping Niseko in the $37,500 race.

Brett is also training Zipping Niseko for Ray Magri during her Queensland campaign.

“I rang Tony last week about keeping him there for the Group 1 Queensland Cup that is coming up at Albion Park and he was happy to do that,” Wally said.

Brett was caretaker trainer for Sir Truculent when he won the Garrards Gold Cup at Albion Park in March.

“He's going as good as ever,” Wally said. “He ran second in the Speed Star over 715 metres at Sandown early in the month, then came home to run in a 680 metre race at Murray Bridge.

“It was only his second start there and he was beaten a length into second. But the winner, Fantastic Radley, broke the track record.

“I like him in a four-dog race like this especially when there is a good bit of early pace in the race.

“If he gets to the front too early, he can sometimes burn himself out.

“But if there is good pace in a brace like this, he can settle up behind them and wind up as the race gets longer. I fancy his chances on Thursday night.”

Wally said he was contemplating flying to Brisbane on Thursday to watch the Invitation race.

“He's been a real thrill for me being a suburban trainer with just a couple of dogs in work,” he said.

Sir Truculent has started 89 times for 38 wins and earned $288,000.

Wally was in high praise of Racing Queensland's “marketing department”.

“Not long before I sent him up to run in the Garrards Gold Cup, I got some promotional material from Racing Queensland and among it was all their feature races coming up,” he said.

“It prompted me to send him to Queensland.

“And, they have done the same for the Winter Carnival.”

Wally is also keen to breed a litter or two by Sir Truculent.

“I even bought a couple of bitches to be mated to him, but because I now need some space to rear a couple of pups by Mepunga Blazer from Sir Truculent's mother, I have been forced to sell them again,” he said.

“Both bitches really suit him on bloodlines.”

Sir Truculent is a star stayer having also been beaten narrowly in the G1 Bold Trease and G1 Super Stayers in Melbourne and also been a G1 finalist in the Sandown Cup, Zoom Top and Topgun Stayers.