The Barracks in another grand advertisement for QTIS 600 and Glenlogan Park. The colt’s connections collected $74,000 for winning the XXXX Gold Grange Plate QTIS 2YO Handicap (1100m) on the Ipswich Cup support card last Saturday.
The Barracks (2c Commands – Ete Pins by Snippets) is QTIS 600 registered and trainer Pat Duff believes there’s better to come from the lightly raced Commands colt. “He’s still not there,” Duff said. “I think he’s going to make a lot better three-year-old. He’s still a bit of a baby.”
The race was named after The Grange which was the name of the property on which Ipswich started racing 150 years ago. The Club’s anniversary celebrations were well supported by the racing community as a record 24,000 patrons flowed through the gates last Saturday.
The Barracks started a $3.20 favourite and jockey Michael Cahill opted to sit two lengths off the pace set by Fraha and Seductive Grey. He angled the lightly raced youngster into the clear at the top of the straight and the colt let down beautifully to post an impressive three quarters of a length win.
“I was very happy with the fact he kicked a bit at the finish,” Duff said. “The way he finished that off, we won’t be afraid to go a little further.”
Glenlogan Park gave Duff an opportunity to select from a number of young horses at the Innisplain stud and he chose the right one. “Steve Morley invited me down to Glenlogan Park and I picked The Barracks,” Duff recalled. “He’s out of a Snippets mare called Ete Pins and she was very well performed mare in New Zealand.
The Barracks had been passed-in for $80,000 at the 2009 Gold Coast Magic Millions. He has now accumulated $117,500 in earnings including $68,000 in QTIS 600 and QTIS race bonuses.
Ipswich Cup day was also produced a winning double for Glenlogan Park sire Falvelon. He sired Fab Fevola to win the Ipswich Dash as an odds-on favourite. His bonny mare Kryptelon closed the card with a Listed triumph in the Gai Waterhouse Classic.