No Bad Blood for Vandyke in Goldmarket

Leading Queensland trainer David Vandyke will have no bad blood towards former stable star Alligator Blood (All Too Hard) if he runs Desert Lord (High Chaparral) in Friday’s Listed Goldmarket (1200m) at the Gold Coast. That’s no certainty as Vandyke, who traine Alligator Blood to 9 wins (including the Gr1 Australian Guineas) and 3 placings (including the Gr1 Caulfield Guineas) has also nominated Desert Lord for an Open 1350m at Doomben on Saturday. He has accepted for both races and will make a decision closer to the time when he can assess the fields and the state of both tracks, but acknowledged to punters.com.au, “If I ran against Alligator Blood, watching him walk around the parade ring I would be reminiscing about the times I had with him. I had a wonderful time with that horse, such great memories.” That notwithstanding, Vandyke will place Desert Lord to his best advantage no matter the opposition. “There is a lot to like about running in the Goldmarket, over 1200m off the back of a freshen up, down in the weights.”

Former David Vandyke-trained Alligator Blood (pic: Mark Gatt)