The Gold Coast racecourse has looked more like a construction zone of late, but it's still better than the freezing winter at Goulburn for trainer Curt Goldman, who recorded the richest win of his career with Roughie Arts Object at The Wave on Saturday.
Seeking to reinvent his business after the death of his largest owner, Alan Cardy, Goldman moved to the Gold Coast with a wing and a prayer and struck gold in monumental fashion with jockey Angela Jones.
Ignoring the bookies, Goldman had unwavering confidence in the mare and pocketed a $345,000 winner's check thanks to a $200,000 Magic Millions bonus in a win set to strengthen his position on the Gold Coast.
With only seven funds, Goldman is hoping a win will put its name in the spotlight on the shining bar.
“The plan was always to come here in the winter and test the waters,” he said.
“It's been a construction zone here on the Gold Coast but it still beats Goulburn in the winter.
“I wanted to give myself a good chance, for six to 12 months to see how I could move forward, and it paid off.
“I only have seven boxes here and I have a dozen horses.
“I'm renovating, I lost my big landlord when he passed away and I have to rebuild and get boxes and owners.”
Despite her $61 offer, Goldman said he was keen on the four-year-old on Saturday, in a six-month plan to get to The Wave.
“I've always loved the horse and have told owners that he has group-level ability for a long time,” he said.
“He's one of the best horses I've ever trained, and I've had some good horses over the years.
“For her to be able to do that on the big day of racing we had targeted was very special.”
It also marked the richest win of Jones' career, in a race full of hard luck stories, with race favorite Zoe's Promise holding out throughout the straight to finish fifth.
Jockey Tim Clark received a reprimand from the stewards for desperately trying to squeeze between two riders in the straight.
“(Goldman) took a risk with masks and we thought he was going to overdo it, but in the end it was perfect,” Jones said.
“She jumped up, we had the best ride, and then she put her head down and fell asleep and was traveling like nothing was going to beat her.”
Originally published as Kurt Goldman's stable rebuild gets boost with boil-over win at The Wave at Gold Coast
