While multiple Premiership winning trainer Tony Gollan is busy shuffling the pack to see which cards to play … and where … in what could be a lucrative summer of racing for the top stable, the reappearance of Gollan’s 2023 Magic Millions Two-Year-Old Classic winner, Skirt The Law, at the Sunshine Coast on Boxing Day is sure to attract attention.
Skirt The Law kept her then unbeaten record intact when she won the Millions Classic in her third start on January 19, 2023, but that was the last time she earned a place in the winners’ enclosure.
It should be noted though that the daughter of Better Than Ready is lightly raced. In all, following that Magic Millions win, Skirt The Law has only had eight starts in the next twenty-two months … and, to put that in further perspective, four of those runs were interstate, where she did claim a highly commendable runner-up finish in the Group 3 Quezette Stakes at Caulfield.
She was out of action for seven months between the end of September 2023 and the end of April 2024 … and then again had five months on the sidelines between the end of April 2024 and the end of November 2014 … meaning that, overall, she lost a full year in total of valuable, prime racing time.
“She had a chip in her fetlock, which took her out the first time,” explained Gollan, “and, when she came back, she didn’t run up anywhere near her best in the Winter.
“Her runs at Eagle Farm were terrible. Her run at Doomben was ok … but still not what she can do.
“We did more tests on her and her sole depth was very low on her feet, so we’ve done a lot of work trying to improve her sole depth, and we think we have done that”
After that second break, Skirt The Law then resumed over 1100m at Doomben where she carried 61kg and was beaten into second place by the well performed Cherry Rose, who enjoyed no less than a 7kg advantage at the weights over the Gollan trained runner, which had to translate into a very satisfying first-up effort on the part of Skirt The Law.
“I thought she was really good under the big weight … first-up,” said Gollan.
“She’ll improve a lot off that again.
“I missed a trial with her in-between which is a bit annoying, but that’s life when the storm season hits
“I’m just trying to keep her a little bit away from Eagle Farm. Her two runs were so bad there in the Winter, so, I’m keen to take her away from Eagle Farm. I’m just trying to keep her confidence up.
“She’ll go to the Sunshine Coast now … and then hopefully she can run in the QTIS or Mares race at the Magic Millions.”
