Patinack Farm trainer John Thompson and his soon-to-be new assistant Toby Edmonds had double cause for celebration after Sydney filly Wonderful Lass scored a decisive victory at Doomben.Wonderful Lass, ridden by Stathi Katsidis, held on to post a three-quarters of a length victory over Random Orbit in Saturday's North Brisbane Rugby Club Handicap (1200m).It was Thompson's first winner in Queensland as head trainer for Patinack Farm boss Nathan Tinkler.The victory also augured well for Edmonds, w
Patinack Farm trainer John Thompson and his soon-to-be new assistant Toby Edmonds had double cause for celebration after Sydney filly Wonderful Lass scored a decisive victory at Doomben.
Wonderful Lass, ridden by Stathi Katsidis, held on to post a three-quarters of a length victory over Random Orbit in Saturday's North Brisbane Rugby Club Handicap (1200m).
It was Thompson's first winner in Queensland as head trainer for Patinack Farm boss Nathan Tinkler.
The victory also augured well for Edmonds, who was in a jubilant mood after being appointed Patinack Farm's new trainer at the Gold Coast, replacing Jamie Nielsen.
It is believed Nielsen will maintain a position at Patinack Farm's Gold Coast base.
Under the deal, Edmonds, who originally trained at the Gold Coast before moving to Sydney, will continue to train high-class mare Conquering Queen, winner of the Listed Leo Williams Stakes at Eagle Farm in November.
She will be the only outside galloper to be prepared at Tinkler's Gold Coast stable.
"I was going to send Conquering Queen to Adelaide for their better races later on but she'll now come to Queensland with me," Edmonds said.
"I start officially on Monday as I've still got a few left in my stables at Warwick Farm which I'm winding down now."
Edmonds will start training 35 horses at the Gold Coast but expects the number to increase to 60 later this year.
Edmonds hopes Wonderful Lass will do her future racing in Queensland after she was soundly beaten on debut when seventh in a 900-metre maiden at Kembla Grange on January 16.
"She got run off her legs that day at Kembla but I'll talk to John (Thompson) about giving her another run here and she may stay on up here,'" Edmonds said.
"It was only 900 metres at Kembla and they went at 100 miles an hour.
"I think you can forgive her for that run under the circumstances.
"She's a nice filly and I put blinkers on her when we decided to step her up to 1200 metres today."
Meanwhile, trainer Rob Heathcote has bigger plans in store for Eureka following the six-year-old's narrow win in the Sky Racing Handicap (1615m).
Eureka, who downed Brisbane winter carnival hope Frozone by a half neck, is owned by millionaire Malaysian businessman, Tunku Datuk Seri Shahabuddin.
Shahabuddin, who is better known as Din, serves as a director on a number of company boards and stepped down last year as chairman of the Selangor Turf Club (SLTC) in Malaysia after holding the post since 1998.
"Din has so many horses he didn't know he had this one until it was discovered in a paddock when he was a four-year-old and still a maiden," Heathcote said.
"He was on a stallion station at Euroa in Victoria and hadn't even been broken in.
"It was a good effort to win over a mile second-up and I'll take him through to some of the longer races in February and March."