John Zielke is confident he can maintain his rating as Queensland’s leading trainer of young horses by providing the quinella in the first two metropolitan juvenile races of the season on Saturday.
Zielke has always had a good two-year-old since first coming to Brisbane in 1994 and winning the Listed Meynink Stakes at Eagle Farm with Our Civic Hope.
He has since won more than 100 two-year-old races and holds the Queensland record for the most juvenile race wins in a season.
Zielke showed he was well on course for another big season when his colt Hopes Eternal ran a class record in winning the first Queensland two-year-old race of the season in the Pat O’Shea Plate at Toowoomba on Sunday.
He has a strong hand in both divisions of the first metropolitan two-year-olds with Rains Aplenty and You Know The One in the colts and geldings division and Miracles Aplenty and Rosa’s Charm in the fillies at the Gold Coast .
Zielke never lacks confidence but he has every reason to believe he can quinella both races.
“They have all trialled well and I find it hard to split them. Rains Aplenty ran good time in winning his trial and he will probably be up near the lead,” Zielke said.
“But don’t be shocked if You Know The One runs on well at the finish.”
Zielke said the bigger field in the fillies division made it harder but he still expected his horses to run well.
“Miracles Aplenty won both her trials and beat Rains Aplenty and Hopes Eternal in them. Trials aren’t always the best guide to the best horse but she is handy,” he said.
“Rosa’s Charm also won a trial and she will be the one finishing strongly.”
Miracles Aplenty and Rains A Plenty are by Zielke’s favourite sire Dream Ahead while Rosa’s Charm is by Golden Archer and You Know The One is by Frankel’s three-quarter brother Bullet Train.
Zielke said Hopes Eternal had done well since the O’Shea Plate and would have his next run at Doomben on Saturday week.
“With most of my two-year-olds I am trying to get some early money for the Magic Millions so I don’t have to rush to get them in,” he said.
It could be a big day for Zielke as he also has his top horse Dreams Aplenty in the PFD Queensland Handicap (1400m).
“He has run second at his first two runs back from a spell and is ready to win. He will probably back up at Doomben next week and then we will look at heading south to Melbourne,” Zielke said.
Credit: AAP