Trainer Tony Gollan and his family are currently on holiday on an island off the coast of Thailand, buoyed by a successful day for two of his horses at the Sunshine Coast racecourse. On July 26, 2023, Gollan secured an early double victory with two promising runners in separate events.

The first win came from Balance The Books in the QTIS BM80 Handicap over 1200 meters, where she dominated the field with an impressive performance. Shortly afterward, two-year-old gelding Tengun Tommy, owned by Paul Nugent and easily recognized by the “Tengun” prefix, captured the Bruce McLachlan Classic QTIS 2YO Handicap (1000m). Starting as the $2.30 favorite, Tengun Tommy won his second consecutive race under jockey Ben Thompson, who navigated an inside path to record the victory.

Trainer David Murphy, whose horse Areprice finished second in the 2YO Handicap, expressed that his runner could have won with a more favorable run, noting Areprice was wide throughout but closed strongly. Despite this, Tengun Tommy’s win stood out, especially given his lineage as a son of Group 1 winner Flying Artie. Craig Cavanaugh, Gollan’s assistant, highlighted the colt’s raw talent, describing him as still maturing physically but already showing the potential to develop into a top-class racehorse.

Balance The Books’ decisive win underscored her continuing improvement and added further credit to Gollan’s training stable. The double success on the Sunshine Coast provided a timely boost for the trainer during his vacation, reinforcing the positive outlook for his runners in upcoming events.