Out In Force For Brisbane Cup

Gold Force, Goulburn trainer Denice Warren's exciting speedster who has had nine starts for seven wins and two seconds, trialled brilliantly over 520m at The Q Parklands track last Friday in preparation for next month's Group One Brisbane Cup.

Gold Force clocked a smart 29.66 despite "baulking" going into the first turn.

Denice Warren said: "His run home time was what really impressed me, apparently it was among the fastest yet recorded at this track.

"I plan to nominate him for a Cup Prelude at Parklands on Thursday night before he tackles the heats of the  Brisbane Cup on June 26.''

The final of the Brisbane Cup, worth $650,000 to the winner, will be held on Saturday, July 5.

"I'm confident Gold Force is capable of improvement because it was understandable he baulked going into the first turn when he trialled on Friday,'' Warren said.

"That was the first time he had been around a circular track since he won at Wentworth Park in 29.42 in mid-December.

"His three subsequent races have been on different types of courses, at Goulburn and Ballarat.''

Gold Force won his heat of the Ballarat Cup in 29.74, fastest time of the meeting, before finishing second to Jason Thompson's champion Explicit in last month's final.

Michael Boots, the highly successful harness racing owner who races Gold Force, is enjoying even more greyhound racing success with that crackerjack's three kennelmates.

Boots also has Dark Noise, unbeaten in two races over 350m and 440m at Goulburn, along with that greyhound's litter sisters Pure Blue and Foxy Fawn, in Denice Warren's kennels.

Pure Blue and Foxy Fawn, like Dark Noise, are by Barcia Bale from Margie Irene and were whelped in August, 2023.

They each won on debut over 350m at Goulburn on Friday.

Boots, from Leeton in the NSW Riverina, owns champion pacer Swayzee, winner of the $NZ750,000 New Zealand Cup in 2023.

"Dark Noise has come to Brisbane as a travelling companion for Gold Force and I gave her a slip at The Q on Friday so she will be racing up there too,'' Deince Warren said.

It's hardly surprising Warren is attracting clients from the pacing code, as her background was in harness racing.

Her late father Frank Day trained consecutive Miracle Mile winners Friendly Footman and Gundary Flyer in 1981 and 1982 and she often drove trackwork for her father.

At one stage Warren switched her attention to the thoroughbreds and became a jockey, riding winners at Canberra at a time when female riders were restricted to competing in designated women's races or picnic meetings.

A serious back injury put an end to Warren's career in the saddle and in 1976 she bought her first greyhound, Crack Shot, from Allen Wheeler, the father of the late famous breeder Paul Wheeler.

Crack Shot was no champion but won races and it wasn't long before Warren landed her first Wentworth Park winners, Sidmouth Red and William Bonney.