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Darren Weir trusts bargain buy can deliver maiden Queensland Group 1

5th May 2015

The Herald Sun - by Ben Dorries - Monday, 4 May 2015

Master Victorian trainer Darren Weir has already turned water into wine with Trust In A Gust, who has gone from a bargain buy to a $2 million stallion.

But a third Group 1 triumph for Trust In A Gust, in Saturday’s BTC Cup (1200m) at Doomben, would give Weir an extra slice of personal satisfaction.

It would be Weir’s first Queensland Group 1 after previous campaigns here have often ended in disappointment, such as last year when stayer Akzar did not live up to expectations.

Weir has high hopes for Trust In a Gust and the pressure is off to some extent as the four-year-old entire is in his last racing campaign, having been sold for more than $2 million to Victoria’s Swettenham Stud.

Not bad for a galloper who was bought for $45,000 at the 2012 Inglis Premier Yearling Sales and started his racing career with fairly modest expectations.

Weir initially aimed Trust In a Gust for restricted sales bonus races but he kept raising the bar.

A pair of Group 1s came quickly last year when he won the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes and the Toorak Handicap in Melbourne in the space of a fortnight.

“I have just kept rolling the dice with this horse, and why wouldn’t I with the way he has been performing?’’ Weir said.

“I was hoping to pinch one big race with this horse in Melbourne and I ended up snaring two.

“I chased the VOBIS Gold money with him at the start of his career but he just kept raising the bar.’’

The one big blot in the copybook was Trust In A Gust’s first-up performance last month when he started as a $1.95 favourite at Caulfield but was beaten into second by $51 roughie Red Bomber.

However, Red Bomber has since franked the form by winning again at Caulfield last weekend.

Weir doesn’t sound like a man too worried by the first-up flop and is confident about Trust In A Gust, who is on the third line of BTC Cup betting at $6.50.

“He ran OK first-up but probably got to the lead too early and he will have benefited a lot from the run,’’ Weir said.

“I haven’t had much of a look at the field for the BTC Cup but my horse certainly deserves his chance.’’

Weir’s winter carnival presence has been fortified by Master Of Arts, who he has added to his Group 1 team and is being aimed toward the Queensland Derby (2200m) at Doomben on June 6.

Master Of Arts is a progressive stayer who is now a $9 Derby chance after an impressive win at Caulfield on Saturday.

Weir confirmed sprinter Lucky Hussler will run in the Group 1 Goodwood Handicap in Adelaide before heading north to Queensland for a tilt at the rich Stradbroke Handicap.