Trainer David Vandyke is hoping he can make an immediate impact with his first Queensland starter when three-year-old Look To The Stars lines up in (Saturday)’s $100,000 Listed Princess Stakes (1600m) at the Sunshine Coast Turf Club.
In what marks the start of Vandyke’s transition from his Warwick Farm training base to his new stables at the Sunshine Coast, Look To The Stars will be the first cab of the rank (on Saturday) as star stablemates Yankee Rose, Sir John Hawkwood, Maurus and Astronomos wait patiently for their respective Queensland Winter Racing Carnival campaigns to begin.
The promising filly won last year’s Group 2 QLD Sires Produce Stakes (1350m) at Doomben and Vandyke is hoping for a forward showing on debut at the Sunshine Coast.
“She’s a filly with a lot of ability,’’ said Vandyke.
“She can be a bit quirky but I think she likes racing in Queensland more than NSW as she won a Group 2 up here last Winter.
“Being back in Listed company tomorrow, with a nice barrier and a big track, I think she’ll give punters a good sight.
“We’ll be looking at races like the Guineas down the track but that’ll all be judged on how she goes tomorrow (Saturday).”
(Saturday) marks the first phase of Vandyke’s transition to the Sunshine Coast as he winds up his Sydney stable and looks to fill his 32 boxes in Queensland over the coming months.
“I’m bringing about 15 horses up by the end of July,” he said.
“I’ve got 32 boxes and we should fill them within a few months of the season starting, being the 1st of August and I’ll have eight staff full-time by that point.”
Vandyke, who was a top-10 trainer in Sydney, explained his rationale for the move to Queensland was a combination of professional and personal factors.
“It’s a fantastic place to live up here and I’ve wanted to come up here for many years,” he said.
“From a professional perspective, Queensland Racing is on the rise, Eagle Farm will be finished soon and this (Sunshine Coast) is one of the best training centres in Australia.
“It’s a terrific place the Corbould track and with 67 meetings next season, I think it’s the place to be as my future progresses.
“I’m only 50 which is pretty young for a trainer so I’ve got a good 20 years left as a professional trainer and I think this is a great place to improve my position in the ranks.”
Vandyke said he planned to set Yankee Rose for the Group 1 J.J Atkins at Eagle Farm on June 11 while his staying trio of Sir John Hawkwood, Maurus and Astronomos will be set for the staying events over the course of the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival.
– Racing Queensland
