Racing: Sprinter gets second chance

Vinnie Colgan will again be aboard Sacred Star on the Sunshine Coast tomorrow. Photo / Race Images

If Sacred Star had finished down the track in the Stradbroke he was probably going to be looking at the back gate.

But his brave fifth in Queensland's iconic race has seen the veteran's fabulous career being granted a postscript.

It might be race by race and the first of those is tomorrow's A$175,000 Glasshouse Handicap at Caloundra's biggest day of the year.

Sacred Star surprised trainer Tony Pike, who was hugely proud of his class sprinter.

"Realistically, I thought he was only a very rough place chance in the Stradbroke and he went a fabulous race. It was worth continuing on for the Glasshouse because he goes way back in class from group one to listed level.

"It's a nice race for him and if he goes well this time I will probably keep him here to run in the Ramornie at Grafton."

Vinnie Colgan rode Sacred Star in the Stradbroke and has made another trip from New Zealand for this race.

Pike is currently spelling in Queensland his Oaks winner Provocative and star juvenile, winner of the JJ Atkins, Sacred Elixir with the intention of taking them directly to the Melbourne spring carnival.

The Cambridge trainer says he would love to think he could get Provocative into the Caulfield Cup, but admits luck will need to be with the camp and he is looking at the Victoria Derby with Sacred Elixir.

Meanwhile, Central Districts visitor Brad Thorn could get a compensatory victory in race four at Te Rapa tomorrow.

At Awapuni last start Brad Thorn looked more than a touch unlucky. He reluctantly took up the early pace, but was immediately annoyed by a horse on his outside, who pressured him right to the home bend.

Despite that he kicked strongly at the top of the home straight and looked certain to win at the 300m, but the work he'd been forced to do left him no answer to the finish of the dour Pump Up The Volume.

He drops back from open company to R85 for this race and as a result goes well up in weight, but Shaun McKay takes 1kg off his back. He deserves this.

With the rain midweek a tough, seasoned stayer is required for this and matching Brad Thorn in that department is Colonel Carrera, the veteran of 41 races.

He keeps going when others might struggle in the wet conditions and looks well placed in this race to get at least some of the spoils. At the opposite end of that scale is newcomer Lord And Master, who has visited the races just six times, winning two of them.

He looks a horse on the way through and if he's not as seasoned as some of his opponents he has in his favour the fact that Te Rapa, even in winter, does not get bottomless heavy like some of the tracks.

He looks to have a future.