FOLLOW GERAN RACING

By Graham Potter | Monday, July 1, 2024

FOLLOW THE COREY AND KYLIE GERAN RACING STABLE
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New Maher was having his fifth start for the Corey and Kylie Geran stable here and the win (as a $2.60 favourite) was always on the cards given the clear and positive form progression rate he had shown in those five starts ... particularly in the immediate two starts leading into this race in which New Maher recorded two runner-up finishes, last time having to give best to his stable companion Vonzither in a thriller.

The early lead was contested by three runners spread across the track and New Maher raced in the middle of that trio until jockey Nozi Tomizawa made the decision to drop out of that chase and settle his mount in third place ... getting the run of the race. Read more ...

NEW MAHER SCORES A WELL DESERVED VICTORY (JULY 1)

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The impressive winning strike-rate of the Corey and Kylie Geran stable continues.

The up-and-coming stable put another training double on the scoreboard when Vonzither and Island Tide saluted at Gatton on June 29 with Island Tide’s win being of particular significance as it was the Geran team’s tenth winner for the month ... a new record for the stable.

The two wins could not have come in more contrasting fashion.

Vonzither ... well, how much does she love a fight!

The chestnut daughter of Toronado was landing a double of her own when he scored a last gasp victory in BM62 Handicap over 1400m at Gatton in a race in which that fighting spirit, which she had displayed so gallantly in her win at the Sunshine Coast in her previous start in which only 1.50 lengths separated the first six horses across the line, was again fully tested. Read more ...

TEAM GERAN SCORES A STABLE DOUBLE WITH TWO CONTRASTING WINS AT GATTON (JUNE 29)

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Absolutely smashing it!

That’s what the Corey and Kylie Geran training partnership were doing on Friday June 14 and Saturday June 15.

On the Friday night at the Sunshine Coast they saddled a long-priced stable quinella with Vonzither and New Maher (see separate story) ... and then on Saturday they had another four horses earn winning cheques for their respective connections when they came away with a same-day double at both Warwick (at a non-tab meeting) and Toowoomba.

The Warwick winners on June 15 were Must Be The Money and Shotgun Sixtyfour. Read more ...

THE WINNERS PILE UP FOR COREY AND KYLIE GERAN (JUNE 15)

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It is always a feather in a trainer’s cap when they train a race quinella. When those horses cross the line in first and second place at odds of $14 and $19 ... well, that makes quite a statement in its own right ... so, the training partnership of Corey and Kylie Geran can take a bow after achieving that result with Vonzither (who finished first) and New Maher (the runner-up) in a BM58 Handicap over 1300m at the Sunshine Coast on June 14.

Vonzither had run into a heavy track when unplaced at her previous start while New Maher had been firmly knocking on the door in his last two starts leading into this assignment when finishing fourth and in second place, both when beaten by less than two lengths.

Vonzither landed in the leading line and held her position briefly before Kark Zechner was happy to take a hold and settle the mare in fourth spot two-and-a-half lengths off the leader in the sweep to the home turn, a length ahead of the Geran stable-mate New Maher, who was also travelling comfortably with Nozi Tomizawa aboard. Read more ...

BOILOVER! THE GERAN STABLE SADDLE A LONG-PRICED QUINELLA UNDER LIGHTS AT THE SUNSHINE COAST (JUNE 14)

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The four-year-old mare Gidget was fourth-up when she came back to a non-tab meeting at Gayndah on June 8.

The daughter of Outreach had shown the first real flicker of a return to form in her previous start in which she finished runner-up in a Ratings Band 0-58 Handicap over 1100m at Gatton two weeks earlier, when jumping at a starting price of 20-1 ... and that warning was heeded by punters who sent her out as the $2.40 favourite for her BM60 Handicap over 1200m at Gayndah.

With apprentice Landa Sykes in the saddle, as he was in Gidget’s previous start ... and taking 2kg off the allotted 58kg Gidget was set to carry ... the Corey and Kylie Geran trained four-year-old started briskly from a wide draw (barrier 9 out of 10) and Sykes continued to push her forward with intent an she duly crossed into the lead by the time the field had travelled 200m. Read more ...

GIDGET TOO GOOD AT GAYNDAH (JUNE 8)

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Sunday, June 2 at Kilcoy ... a beautiful day of winter sunshine after a weather forecast earlier in the week had appeared to threaten the meeting ... and taking home two winners, that was the delight experienced by the Corey and Kylie Geran stable who had Island Tide and Shotgun Sixtyfour salute on the seven-race card.

Island Tide became the latest tried horse purchase to win on debut for the Geran training partnership. This has been such a common, recurring theme with this up-and-coming stable that you could start believing that, in this game of chance, they have got this aspect of their gameplan down to a fine art.

Of course, that can’t be guaranteed moving forward ... nothing ever can in racing ... but, by the same token, current results posted in this regard ... past the post, on the board ... are very impressive.

Astute purchasing has to go hand in hand with the race preparation though and ... how’s this for a statistic.

Horses racing in the already distinctive colours of Grant Goodrum’s GG Racing, all trained by Corey and Kylie Geran, have now won six races in a row with Island Tide being the latest addition to that list following On Hold (three wins), Jenni Moreese and Never Give Up. TRead more ...

ISLAND TIDE MAKES IT SIX-IN-A-ROW FOR GG RACING (JUNE 2)

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You have got to hand it to apprentice Landan Sykes who powered home two winners (Island Tide and Shotgun Sixtyfour) on Sunday June 2 at Kilcoy, both wins coming for the Corey and Kylie Geran stable, who are giving the young rider plenty of opportunities.

Sykes kicked off the trainer/jockey double with Island Tide in the second race on the card (see separate story here ISLAND TIDE MAKES IT SIX-IN-A-ROW FOR GG RACING). In that race Sykes made all the running aboard Island Tide, rating the horse well in the first half of the race to ensure she had plenty left in reserve when he asked her to race away from all opposition down the home straight and go on to score an emphatic victory.

But, for all that, Kilcoy is really a front-runner ... on speed track ... so Sykes had that in his favour on Island Tide ... but not with his win on Shotgun Sixtyfour, who went back to second last five to lengths off the leader early on.

That was another matter altogether.

Shotgun Sixtyfour ($9) went into this race winless after sixteen starts, but three runner-up finishes in his last four starts suggested that the long-awaited win would not be far away. Read more ...

LANDAN SYKES SHINES AT KILCOY (JUNE 2)

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The Corey and Kylie Geran trained Siri Say Rubick upstaged her more fancied rivals in a Maiden Handicap over 1200m at Toowoomba on May 25, winning for the first time in only her second career start.

Siri Say Rubick had been unwanted in the betting on debut back on May 4 when she drifted from $10 to $20 before finishing sixth out of eight runners, a touch under four lengths off the winner ... and the preliminaries to her second outing followed a very similar route with Siri Say Rubick once again drifting out from $10 ... this time stopping at the $18 call.

That’s where any similarities between the two runs ended.

With the benefit of having that first run under her belt, and with a deft rise in distance from 1000m to 1200m, this was going to be a different ballgame.

Not that those who had backed against Siri Say Rubick had any cause for concern early on as Karl Zechner took the Geran trained runner all the way back to second last, dropping out from her extreme wide draw (barrier twelve out of twelve) to ultimately settle a full nine lengths off the speed for the whole of the first half of the race. Read more ...

SIRI SAY RUBICK FINDS A ROUTE TO VICTORY (MAY 25)

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A rapid-fire hat trick of wins!

Not many horses win three races in a row. Even less achieve that feat over a period of time as little as seventeen days ... yet that is the story of the Corey and Kylie Geran trained On Hold.

On Hold is, in fact, unbeaten in three starts for Team Geran, after the mare, who had previously raced for trainer David Vandyke, was purchased by GG Racing.

These rapid-fire wins came on May 4 in a BM62 Handicap over 870m at Toowoomba, on May 11 in a Class 3 Plate over 1000m at Toowoomba ... and now, here, in a BM65 Handicap at Chinchilla on May 18.

While jockey Karl Zechner, who is now a valuable part of the Geran team, rode On Hold in the first two of those wins, the 2kg claiming apprentice Landan Sykes got the nod for the ride here, giving On Hold some welcome weight relief from the 63kg she had been set to carry (down to 61kg).

As things turned out, that claim was arguably worth its weight in gold as On Hold (the $2.60 favourite) prevailed in a highly pressurised finish to win yet again in a tough battle which saw less than two lengths cover the first five runners across the line. Read more ...

ON HOLD COMPLETES A RAPID-FIRE HAT TRICK ON WINS (MAY 20)

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The theme continues ... find a reasonably well-bred, often lightly raced horse being released by a reputable stable, purchase it, often for a very acceptable price ... and kick on from there, many times to an early success.

Ok ... things are never that simple in racing. It is anything but an exact science, but when you work to a plan ... and refine it as you learn along the way ... you can tip the odds in your favour, as evidenced by the fact that you can now add the name of Medical Autocrat to that list of KO Racing’s successful purchases and the Corey and Kylie Geran’s stable honour roll of results with tried horses after the three-year-old son of Dundeel won on debut for the stable, taking out a Maiden Handicap over 1625m at Toowoomba on May 18.

Medical Autocrat raced four times for Anthony and Sam Freedman starting out at 1415m and going all the way up to 2100m, and, with his stout staying pedigree, the Geran stable set the gelding this 1625m target for starters.

Medical Autocrat, who started favourite at $2, only had one rival on the betting boards here ... the $3.60 chance Go Girl Go from the Tony Gollan yard. Only one other runner in the ten-strong field was priced under $14. Read more ...

MEDICAL AUTOCRAT CALLS THE SHOTS (MAY 18)

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The lightly raced Never Give Up turned a BM60 contest over 1200m at Toowoomba on May 18 into a winning debut for his new stable ... the Corey and Kylie Geran training partnership ... when he outgunned the Tony Gollan trained favourite Set To Shine to score by 0,20 lengths.

Never Give Up is the second tried runner sourced from the highly respected David Vandyke yard by GG Racing ... and, like On Hold who followed a similar path before him, Never Give Up wasted no time at all in starting to replay the investment for his new ownership group.

Never Give Up had won twice (over 1200m and 1400m) while under Vandyke’s care in eight starts and the son of Heroic Valour logical starting point, first-up after a five month break from race action, was this 1200m distance.

Never Give Up jumped as the $4.40 second favourite (Set To Shine topped the boards at $3.90) and was immediately set a task in a fairly hectic start in which half-a-dozen runners broke from the gates with some meaning looking to establish a prominent position early.
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NEVER GIVE UP LIVES UP TO HIS NAME (MAY 18)

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You can make that two wins from two starts for On Hold since joining the Corey and Kylie Geran stable now, after the daughter of Headwater won for the second time in a eight days at Toowoomba, taking out a Class 3 Plate over 1000m on May 11 when backing up from her BM62 Handicap win at the same track over 870m on May 4.

On Hold ($3.50) had to work harder for victory this time but prevailed under Karl Zechner to beat off the game challenge of the $3.10 race favourite Upstart Legend by 0.80 lengths.

The first part of the race was a carbon copy of On Hold’s previous win ... jumping smartly from a wide great, showing good gate-speed to stretch out into the lead with the minimum of fuss. Read more ...

ON HOLD SALUTES AGAIN (MAY 11)

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Jenni Moreese claimed her first career success in only her fourth start when proving far too strong for her rivals in a Maiden Plate over 1600m at Gatton on May 10.

The Corey and Kylie Geran trained daughter of Maurice has been a work in progress since transferring to the Team Geran from the Ben, Will and JD Hayes training partnership.

With the Hayes’, Jenni Moreese only had one start. They wasted no time in starting the well-bred filly off at a 1500m trip, but she failed to fire on debut as a $1.70 favourite.

She then was moved on with GG Racing purchasing her and placing her with the Geran stable.

There was a clue in that 1500m sighter by the Hayes stable.

It suggested that Jenni Moreese would need ground to be most effective ... and the Geran stable worked on that premise, plotting a steady route to that goal by giving her two runs ... first over 1300m (the starting price was $14), then 1400m (at $26) ... as they, not only gradually took each step up in distance in a measured fashion, but also, importantly, added to Jenni Moreese ‘s all around racing experience. Read more ...

JENNI MOREESE RACES TO HER FIRST CAREER VICTORY IN CONVINCING STYLE (MAY 10)

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Up until now, it would be fair to say that the Corey and Kylie Geran training partnership have largely built its evolving reputation on the good results they have achieved over a fair period of time with runners that have been purchased as tried horses.

The KO Racing ownership group have been very much part of that journey.

At Eagle Farm on May 8, this enthusiastic group broke new ground when sending out Spirit Fox, a two-year-old on debut, to claim victory in a QTIS Two-Year-Old Maiden Plate over 1000m.

And, if a stable, generally always talked about in terms of their success with tired horses, wanted to make a statement and attract some attention about what they can do with two-year-olds, what better way to prepare it to win in its first start ... and, wait for it, for it to win at a starting price of $91 ... and then not just win, but win like a good thing!

Chances are the Geran stable won’t be underestimated again in this regard. Read more ...

SPIRIT FOX HUNTS THEM DOWN AND SALUTES IN A $91 BOILOVER FOR A BIG WIN ON DEBUT (MAY 8)

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Touch Of Gracie made it back-to-back wins when she landed a BM58 Handicap over 1300m at Rockhampton on The Archer Raceday, April 28.

While the big prize for the Corey and Kylie Geran stable went missing one race earlier ... the Geran and KO & KC Thoroughbred Racing Group team had Nikau Spur in the $775 000 feature ... Touch Of Gracie’s powerhouse performance in the last race on the card meant to day would have a happy ending.

A winner over the same distance at Toowoomba in her last start in a result which underlined the solid progress she was making, Touch Of Gracie topped the betting boards at $3, and justified that status when, for the second time in a row, she produced a sustained run in the long home straight to carry the day by a 0.88 length margin.

Andrew Mallyon was in the saddle this time. The inside draw and Touch Of Gracie’s willingness at the start allowed Mallyon to navigate a favourable early path which saw Touch Of Gracie take up a comfortable position on the rail, trailing the lead by some four lengths in the first half of the race. Read more ...

TOUCH OF GRACIE ROCKS THEM AT ROCKHAMPTON (APRIL 28)

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Nikau Spur’s slashing first-up run at Eagle Farm on Saturday might not have produced a win, but it helped open the door to a great new opportunity for the chestnut son of Proisir, his co-trainers Corey and Kylie Geran and his enthusiastic, large group of owners who rally around wherever the relatively new but already distinctive KO Racing colours are in action.

The ownership group loves racing, and they will thrilled just at the prospect of Nikau Spur taking his place in the $775 000 The Archer at Rockhampton on April 27 ... his entry being confirmed by John Kele from KGB Racing, one of the slot holders with the right to select their runners for the Archer Showdown. Read more ...

NIKAU SPUR SECURES A START IN THE ARCHER (APRIL 9)

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Fresh from their triumph with Celestial Harbour at Rockhampton on Friday, the Saturday set of results on April 6 put the icing on the cake for the weekend for the Corey and Kylie Geran training partnership and the KO and KC Thoroughbred Racing Group.

Connecticut’s win in town at Eagle Farm was a big win in many respects.

Firstly, the son of Written Tycoon, who had previously been with trainer Michael Moroney, had shown to good advantage in both of his first two starts for the Geran stable and this win cemented the fact that his form trajectory was on the right path, not just because of the win, but because of the manner in which it was achieved.

And what about the price! Connecticut started at $21.

Trapped four wide early, but racing in fourth place, Connecticut pressed forward into third place as the field went down the back straight and Kyle Wilson-Taylor kept the Geran trained runner holding that position all the way through the sweep to the home turn.

Approaching the home turn Wilson-Taylor slipped Connecticut up to join the leaders, racing two wide, and he quickly slipped into a close-up second place and then just as quickly took over the lead early in the straight ... but it was going to be a long run home.

Connecticut was strong but, in the early part of the straight Mascaret ($5.50) and Sacred Feeling (the $2.30 favourite), went with him, putting the Geran trained runner under severe pressure with still half of the straight ahead of them. Read more ...

CONNECTICUT TOUGHS IT OUR TO WIN AT LONG ODDS (APRIL 6)

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Toowoomba to Rockhampton is, on average, a touch over seven hours drive. If you travel there to compete as a racehorse trainer, a good result can seem to make the drive back home shorter.

Celestial Harbour got that result for the Corey and Kylie Geran stable at Rocky in a Class 1 Handicap over 1100m on April 5.

The former Mick Price and Michael Kent (Junior) trained runner had raced first-up for the Geran stable on March 23, where he was caught wide throughout and lost ground when squeezed in-between runners halfway up the straight, yet still managed to finish within 1.80 lengths of the winner.

While he would obviously have been fitter for that run, he had not raced on a heavy surface before ... the Rockhampton meeting was run on a Heavy 9 ... but there was still a fair measure of support for the visitor who started on the second line of betting at $5.

In dismal conditions, Celestial Harbour was taken back in the field from a wide gate by Karl Zechner to race, two wide, all of seven lengths off the early lead.

Celestial Harbour was still well out his ground when the field straightened for the long 600m straight run home with Zechner weighing up his options on where to try and make his run. Read more ...

CELESTIAL HARBOUR MAKES THE TRIP WORTHWHILE (APRIL 5)

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Demon Delivera showed he is well and truly back on the warpath when he claimed a second successive win in BM60 Handicap over 1300m at Toowoomba on March 28.

The four-year-old son of Deep Field has signalled a return to form in his previous start where he won second up at Toowoomba when stepping the distance test up from 1200m to 1300m ... and, over the same track and distance, he would again make no mistake when trouncing his rivals by a clearcut 3.80 lengths to record a fourth career win from only twelve starts.

In his previous win Demon Delivera had carried 54kg with Karl Zechner in the saddle. Here he was set to carry 60kg and the Geran team elected to lesson that burden by using the 1.5kg claiming apprentice Jai Williams for the ride.

Jumping from the number seven barrier draw, Williams had to exercise some patience early on when Demon Delivera was held wide. Williams eventually settled his mount just worse than midfield, two wide, as the field went down the back straight.

Demon Delivera was up to midfield in the sweep to the home turn in sixth and then fifth place, and Williams then had no option to push forward, even wider, towards the leading line. Read more ...

DEMON DELIVERA DOES IT AGAIN (MARCH 28)

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It is always good for a stable to get a winner ... and it is even better if it is a winner at real value odds, such as the $26 (drifting from $21) that was offered about the chances of the four-year-old gelding Demon Delivera in a Class 3 Handicap over 1300m at Toowoomba on March 9.

The Corey and Kylie Geran trained four-year-old has scored two wins from six starts in his first preparation as a two and a three-year-old.

In the last of those six runs, Demon Delivera finished second in the Garden City Guineas at Toowoomba behind the Tony Gollan trained Madame Odette who would go on to compete in the Princess Stakes, the Bracelet (both Listed races), the Roses (Group 2) and the Group 1 Queensland Oaks.

For his part though, Demon Delivera’s marked time after that Garden City Guineas run. Read more ...

DEMON DELIVERA BOUNCES BACK AT BIG ODDS (MARCH 9)

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There is no break in racing. The days simply flow into each other giving no respite to the racing stakeholders ... but, for all of that, it is still nice for a racing stable to kick off the new month with a winner. It is even better when that winner is saluting for the second time in a row ... and it is even better than that when the horse wins by a four-length margin.

Enter the Corey and Kylie Geran trained Skater, a four-year-old Jabali mare who lined up for a BM58 handicap over 1600m on the Sunshine Coast Poly Track on March 1, coming into the race on the back of a BM60 victory at Toowoomba on February 17.

Damien Thornton, who had won on Skater before, was back in the saddle here (Anthony Allen had guided Skater to victory at Toowoomba) and his immediate task was to take Skater (the short-priced $1.40 favourite) into the lead at the jump ... and he did that with the minimum of fuss.

Skater then held a one length advantage at the head of affairs as he took the field down the back stretch with Blue Swimmer ($19) the runner closest to her, and these two runners held station until the approach to the home turn where the race went on in earnest.

For a while on straightening, with the others struggling behind them, it was a two-horse race with Skater leading ... and extending now as Thornton got to work on his mount ... and Blue Swimmer chasing hard, trying to close the gap on the Geran trained runner. Read more ...

SKATER CLAIMS BACK-TO-BACK WINS (MARCH 1)

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Skater and Unleash provided the Corey and Kylie Geran stable with another home town double at Toowoomba on February 17 when they saluted in a BM60 Handicap over 1625m and a Maiden Handicap over 1300m respectively.

Skater came into the race on the back of a runner-up finish over the same track and distance two weeks earlier and the expectations were there that he could improve on that effort with his price shortening from $3.20 to $2.50 at the off.

Jockey Anthony Allen made his intentions clear at the break as he chased Skater up from his wide draw to search for early lead. While he did encounter some resistance to that move from a couple of horses to his inside, Allen git his way after the field had covered 200m and Skater duly took up the running and he took the field down the back straight at a fairly leisurely gallop.

Allen then dictated terms to suit himself until approaching the home turn where Allen started to really get busy on Skater as the wall of horses lined up behind him started to apply pressure. Read more ...

A GERAN DOUBLE - DIFFERENT TACTICS. SAME RESULT (FEBRUARY 17)

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Buoyed by a confidence boosting win at Warwick on January 29, Prepotent made it back-to-back wins when landing a hard-fought win in a BM65 Handicap over 1300m at his home base of Toowoomba on February 10.

Karl Zechner, who rode Prepotent so confidently at Warwick, was again in the saddle here as the chestnut son of More Than Ready jumped as the joint second favourite (with another last start Warwick winner, Dazzling Flash) at $4.40. Bean Rocking was the $3.30 race favourite.

Dazzling Flash immediately went out to make every post a winning one while Bean Rocking settled in third place two-and-a-half lengths off the lead in the early part, while Zechner had Prepotent back in fifth place a little under five lengths off the leader ... with the runners basically holding their positions in the sweep to the home turn.

Dazzling Flash was still a free-running leader along the inside on straightening. Bean Rocking had angled wider to get a clear crack at them ... and Prepotent was now right on the back of Bean Rocking, also poised to strike. Read more ...

PREPOTENT MAKES IT BACK-TO-BACK WINS WITH A LAST STRIDE VICTORY (FEBRUARY 10)

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The Corey and Kylie Geran stable landed a race-to-race double at Ipswich on February 3 when Waterworld and Tokyo Sins took out the honours in the third and fourth race on the card respectively. The stable also had a winner ... Touch Of Gracie ... at Toowoomba later in the day.

In an absolutely rousing finish, Waterworld got the ball rolling for the stable in a Class 2 Plate over 1100m.

The gelding certainly had the credentials to be able to claim the result here having a win and a close-up fourth place (in town) to his name in his two results leading into this race. Those were his first two runs for the Geran stable after relocating from trainer Nathan Doyle.

The win was solid enough, albeit on the Gold Coast Poly Track, where the field standards are not necessarily that high ... but all you can do is beat the opposition on offer ... so arguable the fourth place finish behind Tikka Ready at Doomben was a better pointer as to Waterworld’s current level of progress.

That was Tikka Ready’s second successive win and, at the time of writing, Tikka Ready has gone on the stretch his unbeaten sequence to four wins ... which puts Waterworld’s fourth place effort behind that runner in positive perspective. Read more ...

TWO WINNERS AT IPSWICH. ONE AT TOOWOOMBA. THE GERAN STABLE SCOREBOARD JUST KEEPS MOVING (FEBRUARY 3)

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The More Than Ready gelding Prepotent was back in the winner’s enclosure landing a Class 3 Plate over 1350m at Warwick on January 29.

Prepotent had six unplaced runs before transferring to the Corey and Kylie Geran stable in early 2023, and the chestnut’s career immediately blossomed following the move with Prepotent winning three of his first four starts for the Geran stable.

The win has been harder to find in his second preparation with the Warwick success coming in his sixth start this time in, but it should be noted that the two previous runs leading into the Warwick assignment were in town ... in the highly competitive Summer Provincial Series Final and in a BM65 Handicap, both at Eagle Farm.

With that background, Prepotent ... racing in the new KO Racing silks ... appeared to be well placed by the Geran team here, although he was still easy to back at $5 being on the third line of betting in only a five horse field where Wowit’s Willywonka topped the boards at $2.20 with Breaking Ground at $2.25. Read more ...

PREPOTENT FINDS HIS WINNING TOUCH AT WARWICK (JANUARY 29)

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Talk about taking no prisoners!

When you have the best horse in the race there is no point in employing tentative tactics. You can afford to take the race by the scruff of the neck right from the start and shake it until you have sapped all of the strength and enthusiasm out of the opposition and left them well behind, chasing for only a minor share of the prize-money.

That is exactly what Kyle Wilson-Taylor did aboard the Corey and Kylie Geran trained Without Revenge, with the duo completing a commanding display by passing the post a full 3.80 lengths clear of the $2.05 race favourite Eaglemont in the Ballina Cup on January 25.

Without Revenge started second favourite at $3.10.

The win came with the added bonus of earning a Big Dance eligibility ... the Big Dance being a $3 million race which is restricted to horses contesting one of selected NSW Country Cups throughout the year. The Big Dance 2024 will be run on November 5, 2024 ... Melbourne Cup Day ... at Randwick Racecourse ... so it was huge result. Read more ...

WITHOUT REVENGE CANES THEM IN THE BALLINA CUP (JANUARY 25)

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The country track of Gatton provided the setting for the Corey and Kylie Geran training partnership to flex their muscles on January 23, and they duly saddled the quinella in the fourth race on the card, a Class 3 Handicap over 1100m with Seductive Spur and Tokyo Sins ... the only two runners they brought to the track on the day ... finishing first and second respectively.

Seductive Spur was winning for the second time in only three starts since transferring to the Geran stable. She had won first-up for Team Geran at Chinchilla in December in a BM50 contest and then finished second at Toowoomba in a BM65 Handicap ... before lining up this Gatton target in her sights.

In the race itself, Seductive Spur (a $3.70 second favourite) landed in the leading line under Justin Stanley while Tokyo Sins ($5) was slightly awkwardly away from a wider draw, yet, by the time the field had travelled 300m, the two Geran trained runners raced together holding down third and fourth spot, a couple of lengths off the two pacesetters. Read more ...

A STABLE QUINELLA FOR THE GERANS AT GATTON (JANUARY 23)

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Mahbaby’s striking win in the Country Stampede Final at Doomben on December 2 was the catalyst for her selection by slot holder David Noel Meara for a place in the starting lineup for the $750 000 King Of The Mountain over 1200m at Toowoomba on January 1.

Going into the race, it was always going to be a tough assignment fir Mahbaby facing the likes of not only the race’s standout contender in Rothfire, the Group 1 winner and multiple Group placed nine-time winner who would start at the prohibitive odds of $1.80, but also the highly regarded trio of Steady Ready, Master Jamie and the race’s second favourite All That Pizzazz ($4.40).

Three was a nibble for Mahbaby in the betting market ... she shortened from $31 to $26 ... suggesting that she might run a bold race.

While the Corey and Kylie Geran trained mare, under Damien Thornton, would ultimately finish in fourth place ... behind the afore-mentioned Rothfire, Steady Ready and Master Jamie respectively ... she certainly did give her followers a run for their money and turned in a performance against the ‘big guns’ which did the Geran stable proud.. Read more ...

MAHBABY BUILDS ON HER COUNTRY STAMPEDE FORM (JANUARY 20)

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Irish Sally, a four-year-old Vancouver mare, was one of the three Corey and Kylie Geran trained runners who finished second on the King Of The Mountain race-day.
She had also finished second in her previous start ... a first-up run on December 16 ... with both of these runs coming over 1300m at Toowoomba, so it would be fair to say a win was imminent.

With that lead-up, particularly coming from a horse who had won over 1650m and 1625m in her previous preparation ... she in fact went on to contest the Group 2, The Roses over 2000m on May 20 during the Winter Carnival before being allowed a seven month layoff until her December 16 return ... the step up from 1300m to 1500m in a Class 2 Handicap at Warwick on January 15 seemed to be her race for the taking on paper and she duly started favourite at $3.10. Read more ...

CHANGE OF LUCK FOR IRISH SALLY (JANUARY 15)

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The Corey and Kylie Geran stable added two new winners to their stable honour roll when Seductive Spur won at Chinchilla on December 16 and Waterworld saluted at the Gold Coast on December 23.

Significantly, both of these runners were having their first race starts since relocating to the Geran stable.

Seductive Spur had come into the Geran yard from the North Queensland stable of Clinton Taylor as a two-time winner (over 1100m and 1000m) from eight starts.

The Geran’s had given Seductive Spur a trial on December 2 before setting her for race action in a BM50 Handicap over 1030m at Chinchilla where he got a 3kg weight relief, courtesy of the claim of apprentice Corey Sutherland, from the 62.5kg she was set to carry.

Seductive Spur started favourite at $2.50 with Easy Come ($3.60) on the next line of betting ... and it was these two main fancies who fought out a rousing finish, which the result difficult to pick as they finished wide apart on the track ... but, in the end, the photo showed it was Seductive Spur who had earned the win. Read more ...

SEDUCTIVE SPUR AND WATERWORLD BOTH WIN FIRST TIME OUT FOR THE GERAN STABLE (DECEMBER 23)

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There are those identities in racing ... dead-set professionals ... who quietly go about their business never seeking anything more than personal satisfaction at a job carried out to the best of their ability. No fanfare required when successful. No sympathy needed when things go wrong.

That description very much applies to Gary Geran who has announced his retirement from race riding after a career stretching thirty-five years.

Geran’s last ride was on one of the Corey and Kylie Geran’s old stable warriors, Vinasta in the Country Cups Final at Doomben on December 2.

The result might have been an unplaced finish, but it nevertheless did involve a bit of symmetry in the fact that this particular horse and rider combination bowed out together as, over a fair period of time, they had personified the grit and determination, often against the odds, which is the hall mark of the Geran stable. Read more ...

GARY GERAN - A CONSUMMATE PROFESSIONAL CALLS TIME ON HIS PROUD, RACE RIDING CAREER (DECEMBER 4)

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From a long way out, December 2 at Doomben was always going to be a big day out for the Corey and Kylie Geran stable who had qualified runners for both the $105 000 Country Stampede Final (over 1200m) and the $200 000 Country Cups Challenge Final (over 1600m).

The Stampede Final was the third race on the card and the Geran Team’s chances of victory were doubled in the piece when their emergency acceptor Mahbaby got a run after scratchings to join his stable-companion Jack Be Lucky in the final field.

Jack Be Lucky was going for four wins in-a-row after saluting at Gympie, Dalby and Roma, so he was very much an in-form horse ... but a sixteen-out-of-sixteen barrier draw was never going to do him any favours. Still, the respect was there for him. He would start as a $8 chance.

Mahbaby, on the other hand, had come up with a great draw in barrier four. Her form was consistent enough coming into the race (two wins and three places in her previous four starts) and she did find a medium of support with her price shortening from $16 to $11 at the off. Read more ...

MAHBABY'S STUNNING VICTORY IN THE COUNTRY STAMPEDE FINAL (DECEMBER 2, 2023)

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The four-year-old mare Gidget ticked both of those boxes when she came to Warwick to compete in a Band 0-58 Handicap over 1200m on November 27, but punters were looking elsewhere allowing Gidget to jump at a starting price of $17, in spite of the fact that, apart from the Thornton factor, he had won twice (both over 1200m) and been placed second in three of the four starts leading into this Warwick assignment.

Thornton’s first priority after jumping from a fairly wide barrier draw (nine out of thirteen) was to hustle Gidget into the early lead to try and take control of the race.

Gidget got there comfortably enough after which he duly conducted affairs from the front, quietly stretching the field out to the tune of as much as nine lengths down the back straight and through the sweep to the home turn where he cornered with a useful two length lead. Read more ...

THE THORNTON FACTOR HELPS GIDGET TO ANOTHER WIN (NOVEMBER 27, 2023)

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Photo finishes that are decided by a nod of the head can sometimes goes your way ... sometimes not. It can be really disappointing when you go down by nostril, having come so close ... on the other hand, it can be euphoric when your number goes into the frame having gone through the agnony of the wait.

So, when the aptly named Corey and Kylie Geran trained Guts ‘N’ Glory and the equally well named Maryann Brosnan trained Brave Warrior flashed through the line together in a BM70 Handicap over 1300m at Toowoomba on November 25, it was nail biting stuff for connections.

Previously, Guts ‘N’ Glory had produced a very consistent set of results from October 2022 to March 2023, winning back-to-back races and finishing in the top four places in all of his eleven starts during that time ... but in the four subsequent starts since then, going into this race, Gut’s ‘N’ Glory had only placed once in four starts ... a factor that arguably contributed to his very generous starting price of $31.

The Geran team also had Vonzither in the race as the second favourite at $4.

The eventual two main protagonists raced at either end of the field in the first half pf the race with Brave Warrior ($6) attempting to make every post a winning one, while Karl Zechner was content to allow Guts ‘N’ Glory to bowl along in last place, some seven lengths off the lead. Read more ...

GUTS AND GLORY BY A NOSTRIL (NOVEMBER 25, 2023)

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When a horse puts three wins together in a row, it is probably fair to assume that luck had little to do with it.

A horse doesn’t land a hat trick of wins ... anywhere ... without being well-placed by its trainer, without having inherent fitness to tackle any given assignment and without having the ability to carry through with the task.

Ok, maybe every runner needs a little bit of luck ... even if that only means staying out of trouble ... but, notwithstanding that debate, the Corey and Kylie trained Jack Be Lucky continues to blaze a winning trail with the five-year-old gelding’s latest success coming at Roma in a Country Stampede Qualifier Open Handicap over 1000m on November 18.

This was Jack Be Lucky’s second Country Stampeded Qualifier win. He had already ticked off the first box required to claim a place in the Country Stampede Final when he won a qualifying race at Gympie on October 28, but he still needed to meet the condition of having competed in five races at country meetings between November 21, 2022 and November 21, 2023.

After the win at Gympie, the Geran’s marked a race at Dalby and the race at Roma to ensure, not only that second qualifying box was ticked, but also to being Jack Be Lucky along at a measured rate so that he could be ready to give of his best in the Country Stampede Final at Doomben on December 2. Read more ...

ANOTHER TWO VENUE DOUBLE FOR TEAM GERAN (NOVEMBER 18, 2023)

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The five-year-old chestnut mare Vonzither made it back-to-back wins when she took out a BM65 Handicap over 1100m at Toowoomba on November 11.

The daughter of Toronado had saluted by the narrowest of margins in her pervious start (in a Ratings Band 0-58 Handicap over 1200m) while still under the care of trainer Wayne Nugent, and she continued her good work here when scoring in her first start for the Corey and Kylie Geran training partnership.

Coming into the race on the back of that win, Vonzither jumped at a generous starting price of $5, while another last start winner, the Steve Tregea trained Quackery and the Robert Lyford trained Rose By Design (who had run third at Doomben in her last start) topped the betting boards at $2.30 and $2.80 respectively in the six horse field.

Jockey Gary Geran arguably made the race winning move on Vonzither a couple of strides after the start when he speared his mount into an immediate lead after which he controlled the race, holding a two to one-and-a-half lead all the way to the approach to the home turn. Read more ...

VONZITHER CARRIES ON HER GOOD WORK (NOVEMBER 11, 2023)

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The Little Dance, a race worth $750 000 over 1500m at Randwick on November 7 was always going to be a mouth-watering prospect for trainers Corey and Kylie Geran and the host of connections of the six-year-old gelding Without Revenge who was a recent addition to the team having been purchased by Kobie O’Brien.

The team arrived with little fanfare at Randwick. In fact, you could say they were hardly noticed and certainly not respected in the preamble, to the degree that Without Revenge was roundly neglected in the betting (he would jump at a starting price of $201) but everyone soon found out that Without Revenge was not there to merely make up the numbers and just go around.

He was there to shake up the pre-race thinking and … win, lose or draw … he was intent on laying down the law to his opposition, which included the $3.50 race favourite Cotehele (John O’Shea / Nash Rawiller) and runners from the yards of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, Bjorn Baker and Kris Lees … amongst other.

Without Revenge, the only Queensland representative in the race, had to jump from the visitor’s draw (barrier draw fifteen out of twenty), but jockey Tom Sherry and the Geran team had only one thing in mind for Without Revenge on leaving the gates. Read more ...

WITHOUT REVENGE (A $201 CHANCE) GIVES THE LITTLE DANCE A REAL, SHAKE, RATTLE AND ROLL (NOVEMBER 7, 2023)

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On two of the biggest days on the racing calendar, Derby Day and Melbourne Cup Day, the Corey and Kylie Geran training partnership quietly kept the scoreboard moving, saddling three winners … two at their home track at Toowoomba and one at Dalby.

Tokyo Sins, who was having her first run since relocating to the Geran yard, came into a Ratings 0-58 Handicap over 1000m at Toowoomba on November 4 after having a break from racing of a little under three months.

She had recorded one win in ten previous starts (over 1200m in a Maiden at Warwick), and she immediately doubled her number of wins first-up for the Geran yard when scoring by 0.20 lengths under the guidance of apprentice Oliva Webb.

Jumping as the $1.85 favourite in a five horse field, Tokyo Sins landed third and then was quickly up to second, holding the rail position a length off the leader, the $8 chance Acirema.

Webb switched Tokyo Sins out across Acirema’s heels to race one wide approaching the home turn and then quickly moved the daughter of Mikki Isle up alongside … and then passed the early leader on straightening. Read more ...

KEEPING THE SCOREBOARD MOVING (NOVEMBER 7, 2023)

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The Corey and Kylie Geran stable have been very busy … and tomorrow at Randwick they will step up to feature race action at Randwick for the first time when the six-year-old import Without Revenge, who will be having the first start for the Geran yard, steps out in the $750 000 Little Dance over 1600m.

Busy in that in the last couple of weeks the Geran Team have qualified two runners, Jack Be Luck and Vinasta for the $200 000 Country Cups final and the $105 000 Country Stampede Final respectively.

Both of those races will take place on December 2 at Doomben, evidence that the stable continues to target the best options available for their team.

But, for now, that big day out at Doomben will be pushed aside for the moment as an even bigger adventure beckons.

The surrounds of Royal Randwick will be the focus of attention when Corey and Kylie Geran saddle up a newcomer to their stable in the form of the former David Vandyke trained Without Revenge, who was purchased by KO Racing’s Kobie O’Brien after the son of Muhaarar had finished second in the Lismore Cup, a result which galned him entry into the Little Dance. Read more ...

WARMING UP FOR THE LITTLE DANCE (NOVEMBER 6, 2023)

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The Stampede Qualifier Open Handicap over 1030m at Gympie on October 28 was to provide an important win for both the five-year-old gelding Jack Be Lucky and the Corey and Kylie Geran training partnership.

Jack Be Lucky’s fifth career victory earned him direct entry into the $105 000 Country Stampede Final at Doomben on December 2, the same day on which the stable will contest the $200 000 Country Cups Challenge final with their Wondai Cup winner Vinasta.

And they might not be finished yet!

The stable will target the Yeppoon Country Cups Challenge qualifier on November 4, taking two runners … Sammy and Torbreck … to vie for a coveted place in the Country Cups Final and join Vinasta in that race.

“Jack Be Lucky took a long time to win his Maiden, but he was always paid his way. He just kept running into better ones on the day. He had four seconds in a row in the runs leading into his Maiden win in May 2022,” said Corey Geran.

In his next six starts Jack Be Lucky won another two races, finished second twice and third and fourth once, underlining the consistent level of performance that any owner would like to see in their horse. Read more ...

JACK BE LUCKY EARNS A STAMPEDE FINAL BERTH (OCTOBER 28, 2023)

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Talk about taking no prisoners!

The Corey and Kylie Geran trained Vinasta might have missed out (when finishing third) in the Country Cups Challenge Qualifier / Tara Cup Open Handicap over 1400m (held at Dalby) last time out, but the ever-game, now eight-year-old mare is something of a gift that keeps on giving for the Geran stable and her ownership group who race in the Kobie O’Brien’s KO Racing colours.

It didn’t take long for Vinasta to set the record straight and she did so in the most emphatic terms when she tackled the Country Cups Challenge Qualifier / Wondai Cup Open contest on October 21.

Stepping up in distance to the 1577m, Vinasta, under Gary Geran, could not have been more clinical in the way he went about his business … from start to finish.

Pushed out by Geran from the worst of the draw (barrier ten out of ten), Vinasta, the $5.50 third favourite, was quickly right up with the speed, crossing under a great ride to fill second place briefly before settling into third spot as the $3.30 favourite Portnoy led the field past winning post for the first time.

When the field emerged out of the dust cloud going down the back straight, Portnoy still held the lead with Vinasta holding the inside run in the trio of horses racing a couple of lengths in behind the leader. Read more ...

VINASTA - A GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING (OCTOBER 21, 2023)

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Two runners … two winners … that is a good return for any racing stable at any racetrack … and that is exactly what the Corey and Kylie Geran training partnership achieved at Gatton on October 20 when Skater and Sempreinte saluted over a two hour period.

Skater was first off the block in race 5, a BM60 Handicap over 1600m.

With silks displaying the distinctive Get Out Stakes logo, Skater made it two wins out of three starts for the Geran yard.

He had won first-up for the Geran team, after transferring from the Michael Nolan yard where he had fifteen starts, and that win came over the 1650m trip at Toowoomba.

Next up was a worrying run over 1890m at Toowoomba, but there were mitigating factors in his disappointing, unplaced, virtually tailed off finish which strongly suggested a line could be drawn through that result, and the Geran team certainly had him very much back on song for this Gatton assignment. Read more ...

A FULL HOUSE OF WINNERS FOR TEAM GERAN AT GATTON (OCTOBER 20, 2023)

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A starting price of $5 for a last start winner (albeit at Goondiwindi) proved to be generous odds for the Corey and Kylie Geran trained Gidget, who made it back-to-back wins when she saluted in a BM60 Handicap over 1200m at Dalby on October 7.

With Nozi Tomizawa in the saddle for the first time in Gidget’s nineteenth career start, the four-year-old daughter of Outreach did it at both ends.

She surged into an immediate lead, but she was only allowed a brief time to enjoy a clear lead before two rivals, Barrymore ($13) and Mountbattan ($17) joined her to her outside, applying pressure, but Gidget remained unfazed, holding the inside line and maintaining her lead as she brought the field to the home turn. Read more ...

GIDGET GOES ALL THE WAY (OCTOBER 7, 2023)

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Make no mistake, trying to land a spot in the Country Cups Challenge final is a tough task.

KO Racing and the Corey and Kylie Geran training partnership brought a three-pronged attack to that game on October 7, sending Torbreck out to the contest the Country Cups Challenge Qualifier / Eidsvold Cup Race-day and doubling up with Vinasta and Sammy in the Country Cups Challenge Qualifier / Tara Cup Raceday, which was rescheduled to take place at Dalby after, according to a Racing Queensland media release, ‘Ongoing hot and dry conditions - with no rain - have made the Tara track unsuitable for racing.’

At Dalby, the $2 favourite Office Jim was prominent from the break, settling in a clear second place behind the tearaway leader Parko ($9), while Vinasta ($6) took the trail in fourth and Sammy raced well back, some six to seven lengths off the leader in the early part. Read more ...

QUALIFYING FOR THE COUNTRY CUPS CHALLENGE FINAL IS NOT AN EASY TASK (2023)

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The lightly raced four-year-old mare Awesome Moon became the latest winner in the KO Racing colours when she claimed her first career victory in her eighth start in a Maiden Plate over 1890m at Toowoomba on September 30.

Awesome Moon could not come from a better line on the male side of her pedigree. Her sire, Satono Aladdin, was a top-class racehorse in Japan where his eight victories included a Group 1 success in the Yasuda Kinen.

That win in the Yasuda Kinen, as described in a report in the South China Morning Post, took the Yasutoshi Ikee-trained stallion from a ‘million dollar baby’ to a Group One winner, the article referencing the fact that, ‘Satono Aladdin was the first horse Ikee bought for high-profile owner Hajime Satomi, who paid ?136,500,000 (HK$9.52 million) for the well-bred foal by Deep Impact out of the stakes-winning Storm Cat mare Magic Storm at the 2011 Select Sale.

Deep Impact, who won the Japanese Triple Crown in 2005, in turn was sired by Sunday Silence who won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness in 1989. Read more ...

AWESOME MOON WINS LIKE A GOOD THING (SEPTEMBER 30 2023)

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It is always good to get on the scoreboard early and that is exactly what the Corey and Kylie Geran training partnership did at Toowoomba on September 30 when Husson’s Revenge landed his first win for his new stable in the first race, a BM62 Handicap over 1000m.

The Geran team were the third stable to have the five-year-old in their care following on Husson’s Revenge having had three runs (for one win) for Michael Costa in the first two months of 2022, followed by his time with Jack Bruce stable, where he had five runs (for one win) between August and October 2022.

Husson’s Revenge debuted for the Geran stable at Dalby on September 16 where he finished third over 1110m in his first outing in eleven months.

That run was always going to bring him on to some degree and the betting going into the Toowoomba contest as the $3.30 joint favourite suggested that he had in fact come on well enough to be considered a serious winning chance ... but he did have his $3.30 market rival Bright Daisy to beat ... the latter coming into the race with a win a two runner-up finishes from her last three starts. Read more ...

HUSSON'S REVENGE SCORES FIRST WIN FOR NEW STABLE (SEPTEMBER 30 2023)

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The Corey and Kylie trained Nikau Spur had certainly earned his stripes coming into the Toowoomba Cup, his big home-town feature race which was contested over 2000m on September 23.

Carrying the distinctive KO Racing silks, the seven-year-old son of Proisir had won three of his last four starts prior to facing the starter in the Toowoomba Cup.

Those wins had come over distances ranging from 1815m to 2200m, so the Cup distance fell neatly within his comfortable stroke zone and bookmakers were not keen to chance their arm with him, sending him off as a clearcut $2.50 favourite after being punted in from $3.80 … with only two other runners in the fourteen horse field … Heleva Deel ($8 – a last start winner at Eagle Farm) and Namazi ($9.50) – the Townsville Cup winner) quoted at odds under $10.

There was a jockey change on Nikau Spur. There was nothing sinister in that as Mark Du Plessis, Nikau Spur’s regular pilot, was unavailable, so Ben Thompson, another top rider, was handed the reins.

Nikau Spur was surrounded by horses in midfield as the runners passed the winning post for the first time. Thompson then briefly settled him in seventh place as the field left the home straight with the $13 chance Military Gamber, who Damien Thornton had pushed forward from a wide draw, coming across to take up the lead.

Nikau Spur was caught three wide at that stage, and he was briefly as much as five lengths behind Military Gambler as the leader got on with it, taking the field towards the back straight. Read more ...

NO CIGAR, BUT ANOTHER STRONG SHOWING BY NIKAU SPUR FINISHING RUNNER-UP IN THE TOOWOOMBA CUP (SEPTEMBER 23 2023)

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It’s home-town Cup-time for the Corey and Kylie Geran training partnership and the betting says they are in the pound seats with the in-form Nikau Spur marked up as dominant favourite for the big race.

Early in the race-week, co-trainer Corey Geran spoke to James O’Shea on Racing Nation about Nikau Spur and his feelings going into the race. Geran’s informed comments are repeated below.

On the excitement and anticipation of the occasions:

“To come into this race is a big thrill in itself, but to come in as favourite is pretty special. The only one thing that can beat that most likely is winning it.

On the path Nikau Spur has taken to the Cup:

“If you’d asked me about it a few months ago I would have been pretty sceptical. We sort of bought this horse for the Rocky Cup. That was the original plan … a few Cup races like that.

“Kobie O’Brien picked him out. I didn’t mind him when said he had bought him. I wasn’t overly sold on him to be quite honest … and then I got him here and he is a magnificent horse. He is a beautiful looking horse. He has got a great nature on him.”

On the feedback received on Nikau Spur’s profile prior to coming into the stable … the change and how the change came about. Read more ...

TAKING AIM AT A HOME-TOWN CUP (SEPTEMBER 21 2023)

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A good break at the start and a quick forward move straight into a comfortable rails run in second place three quarters to half a length behind the early leader Approval ($5) was all the $2.50 favourite Galway Hussler needed to set up yet another victory for the KO Racing ownership and the Corey and Kylie Geran training partnership. … this time in a QTIS Three-Year-Old BM60 Handicap over 1200m at Dalby on September 16.

Gallway Hussler would not have been short of confidence coming into the race the three-year-old filly had already won two of her three starts this season, but the Geran Team was testing her rate of progress yet again, increasing the distance test from 1100m to 1200m while also asking the daughter of Husson to carry 2kg more than she powered home with in her previous, last start win at Gatton … going up to 59kg from 57kg. Read more ...

GALWAY HUSSLER CLAIMS HER THIRD WIN IN FOUR STARTS SINCE THE START OF THE NEW SEASON (SEPTEMBER 16. 2023)

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Three wins and one third place finish in four starts over a six-week period (from July 29 to Sep 9) … all at Saturday metropolitan level … has seen the career of the Corey and Kylie Geran trained and KO Racing owned Nikau Spur go into turbo-charge mode and take off on an exciting new trajectory.

That run of results, rubber stamped by his latest win at Doomben on Saturday, September 9, has brought just shy of a $150 000 boost to Nikau Spur’s prize-money-earnings bank balance, which means that, with a career earnings total of $321 507, he is already well on his way to doubling the money he earned in eighteen starts for the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace camp, prior to transferring the Geran stable, after only ten starts for the Geran team.

Nikau Spur won four races for Maher/Eustace up to 1600m and he was only tried beyond that 1600m trip once, at 1700m, during his time down south.

Corey and Kylie Geran followed that lead for Nikau Spur’s first six starts for the stable … not venturing beyond 1666m … until what was to become a transformative run when they asked Nikau Spur to tackle 1815m at Eagle Farm in a BM78 Handicap on July 29, which he won. Read more ...

THE NIKAU SPUR STORY JUST GETS BETTER AND BETTER (SEPTEMBER 9. 2023)

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The Corey and Kylie Geran trained Galway Hussler overcame a bungled start and a six-length early deficit to pulverize her opposition in no uncertain terms, laying it down to them in the straight before powering away to win every bit as easily and impressively as the official three length winning margin suggests in a QTIS Three-Year-Old BM60 Handicap over 1100m at Gatton on September 7.

The three-year-old daughter of Husson took five starts to shed her Maiden ticket, but she was a model of consistency before landing that first success, featuring in the placings in all four starts leading up to that win, which came over the 1000m trip at the Sunshine Coast.

Her follow-up run, when finishing fourth behind the smart Show Me Mercy (who is unbeaten in two starts) in a QTIS Three-Year-Old BM68 Handicap over 1000m, was always going to bring her on, if nothing else giving the lightly raced filly some necessary race experience so that, when she arrived at Gatton with that extra run under her belt and facing nothing like the strength of opposition she had tackle at her previous start, it looked like she was going to be right in this race. Read more ...

GALWAY HUSSLER LULLS HER OPPOSION INTO A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY. SMASHES THEM LATE (SEPTEMBER 7. 2023)

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Ok … it wasn’t a case of ‘they came, they saw, the conquered’ … but it was just about as good an example you can get of someone giving the Birdsville Cup a real go to the point that, when you look back it, this is a second place of which connections can be proud.

Torbreck is the horse in question here … the Corey and Kylie Geran training partnership the trainers involved along with a large ownership group who race Torbreck under the KO Racing colours.

The trip …. as documented in a pervious article on HRO … is one steeped in optimism. Why else would you undertake a sixteen-hour journey with three horses, as the Geran team did, particularly when the answers to questions such as how the horses might be affected by the trip or how they would handle the prevailing track conditions on the day at Birdsville would only be known after the fact.

Of course, it is a great place to be with one of the biggest outback parties in the country, but you can do that without having horses in tow, so when you load them up your mindset has to include at lest a touch of optimism. Read more ...

THE ICONIC BIRDSVILLE CUP - WHEN FINISHING SECOND IS STILL A FEATHER IN YOUR CAP (SEPTEMBER 2. 2023)

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It is always a good result to win first-up with a new horse in the stable and the Corey and Kylie Geran training partnership did just that with Skater, a four-year-old Jabali mare, who ran out a comfortable winner in a BM60 Handicap over 1660m at Toowoomba on September 2.

Jumping at $4.80 in an open betting race that saw four horses vying for positions at the top of the betting boards with their prices ranging from $4.20 to $5.50, Skater, an emergency acceptor, was chased around his field early from a wide draw by Nozi Tomizawa and he reached the lead by the time the field had travelled 250m.

Skater held that advantage going down the first half of the back straight with a number of horses hard on his heels … and when Mordecai ($10), who had been caught wide, made a quick forward move and tried to challenge Skater for the outright lead at the 1200m, Tomizawa just asked Skater to quicken up a bit to hold Mordecai out, which he did, before settling in to lead the pack again on his terms, racing just under a length ahead of Mordecai along the rest of the back straight. Read more ...

SKATER GLIDES TO AN EASY SUCCESS (SEPTEMBER 2, 2023)

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Remember Samantha Miss?

The Redoute’s Choice mare who raced for trainer Kris Lees in the orange colours with the black maltese cross and who won the Champagne Stakes (beating Sebring), the Flight Stakes (beating Portillo) and the Crown Oaks at Flemington (beating Miss Scarlatti) – all Group 1 wins – as well saluting in the Silver Shadow, the Furious Stakes and the Tea Rose!

Yes, that’s the one.

Samantha Miss banked 1.7 million in prize-money from her relatively brief career of only twelve starts which is a pretty useful return when you consider we are talking about races run and won in 2008.

The mare is now eighteen years old and those who have gone through Friday’s racebook for Birdsville might have spotted her name in the breeding as the dam of horse number six in race five – the Cory and Kylie Geran trained Sammy. Read more ...

SAMMY'S FAMILY BRAGGING RIGHTS (31/08/23)

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Birdsville bound and a chance to mix with five thousand or so of your new best friends at the country’s greatest outback horse racing party ... well, that’s a well-worn path for Gary and Kylie Geran, so much so that Kylie can’t tell you exactly how many times they have made the trip.

“Ah geez, I really don’t know how many times exactly,” said Kylie, speaking shortly after her and Gary’s arrival at Birdsville for the 2023 edition of the iconic event.

“We’ve been coming to Birdsville since about 1998. Corey was about two years old when we first came out here ... and, yeah, as an event nothing much has changed.

The Geran team has three horses involved over the two-day meeting this weekend but, even with all of their understanding of the Birdsville experience, Kylie admits that the decision-making process in deciding which of the stable runners to bring to Birdsville remains a difficult call.

“It’s really very hard trying to pick the right horse because of the possible effects of the travel might have on the horse and, at the time you are making that decision, you also don’t know what the racing conditions will be like on the day,” explained Kylie. Read more ...

BIRDSVILLE BOUND, CUP TARGETED. INSIGHT INTO WHAT THE TRIP INVOLVES FROM A STABLE WHO SHOULD KNOW (AUGUST 30. 2023)

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The win of the Corey and Kylie Geran trained Nikau Spur on July 29 and the horse’s subsequent close-up third place finish in his follow-up outing on August 12 had already kept the KO Racing’s colours to the fore in town giving the training/ownership team a good start to the season ... and it got even better at Doomben on August 26 when the self-same Nikau Spur made it two wins in his last three starts, taking out a BM90 contest over 2020m.

In spite of his consistency, Nikau Spur started at seemingly generous odds of $5 in a five-horse field ... with punters rather siding with the big stables of Chris Waller, who saddled the $2.70 favourite Wairere Falls with whom Nikau Spur had dead-heated for third place when they last met, and Tony Gollan, who sent out the $3.90 second favourite Fifth Position.

That would prove to be their mistake.

Nikau Spur’s pervious win had come over 1815m. Following that, his narrow defeat had come over 1835m ... and now the stable saw fit to step up the distance test to the 2020m trip with Mark Du Plessis, who had partnered Nikau Spur in all of his last three starts leading into this race, staying in the saddle, thereby giving his vote of confidence to the chestnut son of Proisir, and providing a presence, with his knowledge of the horse, which would serve Nikau Spur well. Read more ...

NIKAU SPUR DOES IT AGAIN (AUGUST 26. 2023)

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The Corey and Kylie Geran training partnership continues to grow in stature, particularly with regard to their expertise in getting the best out of tried horses.

Our Magnus is a great example of that stable strength.

The son of Magnus arrived at the Geran stable as a four-year-old, five-race Maiden … with two third place finishes to his credit over those five starts which took place over an eight-month period.

In his subsequent eight starts for the Geran Team, Our Magnus has notched up four wins, three runner-up finishes and one third placing.

Consistency doesn’t come too much better than that.

His first two successes came in back-to-back wins … in his very first two starts for his new stable … in a Maiden Plate over 1125m at Toowoomba and then in a Class 2 Handicap over 1200m where he romped in, embarrassing his rivals when winning by a 4.30 length margin. Read motre ...

A STABLE GETTING THE BEST OUT OF TRIED HORSES (AUGUST 19. 2023)

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Team Geran and KO Racing’s Nikau Spur’s win on in town July 29 was a huge effort from the son of Proisir. The fact that it came off the back of an eye-catching third place finish at Ipswich ten days earlier strongly suggested that Nikau Spur was enjoying his racing and lifting his form in the right direction.

To win two-in-a-row anywhere though is no ‘gimme’ so when the Corey and Kylie Geran stable set Nikau Spur the task of chasing back-to-back wins in town on August 12, when stepping the chestnut up to a BM90 (from a BM78) and pushing the race distance out ever so slightly to 1835m (from 1815m), it was always going to be a tough assignment for the now seven-year-old, but, while the win did elude him, Nikau Spur did run out of his skin, to claim a highly creditable third place dead-heat, finishing just half-a-length behind the winner Tony Be, who carried 2kg less than the Geran Team trained runner.

Racing in midfield in the early right alongside Tony Be, Du Plessis held his position on Nikau Spur until the approach to the home turn where he brought Nikau Spur right into contention, circling four-wide, but now within a length of the lead.

Nikau Spur’s run home was strong with Du Plessis driving him to the front early in the straight, but with other challengers still very much in play all around him ... Shopping Esprit (the $2.60 favourite) to his immediate outside and Wairere Falls ($13) hard along his inside. Read more ...

NIKAU SPUR - ANOTHER BIG EFFORT. DOING TEAM GERAN AND KO RACING PROUD (AUGUST 12. 2023)

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If any horse has been knocking at the door trying to open the way to his first win, it has been Galway Hussler.

in four starts as a two-year-old, the Corey and Kylie Geran trained daughter of Husson finished third, second and then third and second again … maybe not against the strongest of opposition, but nevertheless showing a level of consistency while learning her trade which suggested that a win was certainly on the cards.

The stable targeted a QTIS Three-Year-Old Handicap over 1000m at the Sunshine Coast on August 6 as Galway Hussler’s first run as a three-year-old and the run she produced here underlined the progress she has been making while getting to grips with the task of learning how to win.

Starting at double figure odds of $11 with Mark Du Plessis in the saddle, Galway Hussler began quickly before taking up a trail in third place a little over a length behind the two leaders in the early part.

Up to the bend and on straightening, Galway Hussler was back to fourth and now some two-and-a-half lengths off the lead and she lost a further length on the frontrunners in the first half of the straight as she took a while to start going through her gears.

Approaching the 200m mark, though, Galway Hussler significantly increased her tempo. Reade more ...

GALWAY HUSSLER FINDS WINNING FORM (AUGUST 6. 2023)

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The chestnut gelding Torbreck gave Kobie O’Brien’s KO Racing a winning start to the new racing season when he saluted in the Nanango Cup Open Handicap over 1600m on August 5.

The now six-year-old son of Sebring had won four of his fourteen starts since relocating the Corey and Kylie Geran stable (from the training partnership of Ben and JD Haye) prior to lining up for the Nanango Cup … and, in two of his last five starts coming into this assignment he was deemed by the stable to be good enough to be given his chance in town.

While he did not place in either of those outings at Eagle Farm, he also did not finish that far back so, given the overall respectability of his form-line it arguably would be fair to say he was over the odds when he jumped at a starting price of $12.

Not that that bothered the KO Racing’s connection in the least, and the fact that the bookmakers had got it wrong only added to the pleasure of the large group of owners whose celebration has become one of the trademark features of KO Racing.

Torbreck was brave because this was no ‘gimme.’

The Corey and Kylie Geran trained runner was already putting in the hard yards mid-race where jockey Nathan Fazackerley pushed Torbreck into the lead and he still did not have a moment’s rest in the sweep to the home turn with a wall of horses trying to chase him down. Read more ...

IT'S TORBRECK'S NANANGO CUP! (AUGUST 5. 2023)

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Nikau Spur made a lot of ultra enthusiast owners very happy when he saluted in a BM78 over 1815m in town, at Eagle Farm, on July 29.

It was the KO Racing Syndicate brand’s fiftieth race winner and it came with the added bonus of a valuable city win which added a useful $42 700 to the prize-money earnings kitty.

Formerly with Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, the Corey and Kylie Geran trained New Zealand bred came into the race on the back of a close-up third placing in a Class 4 Handicap over 1666m at Ipswich just ten days earlier.

Mark Du Plessis was in the saddle that day, and he retained the ride here with Nikau Spur jumping at a starting price of an easy-to-back $17.

Nikau Spur settled just off the speed, in fifth some three lengths off the front-runner early. That became sixth place and five lengths back going down the back stretch, but Nikau Spur was always seemingly travelling well within himself with Du Plessis content to hold that position.

Up to fifth again, cornering three wide, Nikau Spur straightened with an undeniable chance of victory, but, with plenty of work still to do, the result would have to be hard earned. Read more ...

NIKAU SPUR LANDS A BIG PUNCH FOR KO RACING (JULY 29. 2023)

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While Nikau Spur was making merry at Eagle Farm on July 29, another Corey and Kylie Geran trained runner, In A Minute Riley, was helping the stable sign off on the 2022/23 season in style by completing a hat trick of wins in a BM58 Handicap over 1300m at her home base at Toowoomba.

The five-year-old daughter of Spill The Beans had finished out of first four on two occasions in her first ten starts … a set of results which included two runner-up finishes … at which time she was given a six month spell.

When In A Minute Riley resumed after that lengthy break, she quickly showed she was no longer a bridesmaid, shedding her Maiden ticket first-up at Gayndah over 1000m before making it two-in-a-row at Goodiwindi in a Class B Handicap over 1200m … and then keeping the fire going with this latest win in the opening race on the card at Toowoomba.

Landan Sykes, who had partnered In A Minute Riley in the first two wins of that sequence, gave way to Chris Whiteley for the Toowoomba contest, in which not even In A Minute Riley’s winning form and a number one barrier could persuade punters to stay with the Geran trained runner who went off at an $18 starting price.

THREE-IN-A-ROW FOR IN A MINUTE RILEY (JULY 29. 2023)

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: (AUGUST, SEPTEMBER 2022)
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Co-trainers Corey and Kylie Geran would have been forgiven had they left the track shaking their heads after the Dalby Cup meeting on September 17.

The stable saddled six runners on the day and came away with three runner-up results and two third place finishes … but in a game as competitive as horseracing, the Corey and Kylie Geran know, as well as anybody else, that second place is better than third place … and so on, meaning that they would have put their day in perspective and been pleased enough with their Dalby Cup Day efforts. Read more ...

NO CIGAR, BUT STILL A HEALTHY RETURN FROM DALBY CUP DAY FOR THE GERAN STABLE (SEPTEMBER 17)

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The Corey and Kylie trained Demon Delivera made it two wins from only five starts when he took out the QTIS Three-Year-Old Class 1 Plate over 1625m at his home track at Toowoomba on September 10.

The son of Deep Field came into the race off the back of two runs in town … which included an eye-catching second place to the more than useful, Tony Gollan trained Spiritualised (who would win again next time out to take three wins and three runner-up finishes from six starts).

While Demon Delivera did disappoint in the second of those two city runs, which were both in BM72 company, he still looked the pick of the small field of only three runners who lined up in this Class 1 contest at Toowoomba and he duly started favourite at $2 in his first race over a distance beyond 1350m.

Demon Delivera dawdled out of the starting gates, but Gary Geran was unfazed by the slow getaway and he wasted no time in showing his hand as he quickly urged Demon Delivera past the two horses in front of him before crossing both of them to lead … a position he gained with the minimum of fuss. Read more ...

DEMON DELIVERA TOO GOOD BACK ON HIS HOME TRACK (SEPTEMBER 10)

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The five-year-old chestnut gelding Torbreck won for the second time in his last three starts when he outgunned his opposition in a Class 3 Handicap over 1400m at the Sunshine Coast Poly Track meeting on September 8.

The son of Sebring had won over 1300m at Toowoomba two starts prior to this latest win … and, while he did finish just out of the placings in his follow-up start to that, that run was at a Saturday metropolitan meeting in a race won by Mob Buster, who is a five-time winner.

So, Torbreck had the credentials to win at his first taste on Poly Track action, and he did not disappoint.

The betting boards had Torbreck as the favourite at $2, but he did have Collay’s Spirit snapping at his heels in the money market … and that is pretty much how the raced turned out.

Torbreck jumped well enough and Matthew Powell pushed Torbreck along to move forward and establish an early but narrow lead over Caldwell ($91) who raced along his inside.

Going down the back stretch, Torbreck had no sooner left Caldwell behind when another, even longer priced outsider I’m The Business ($101) ranged up on his outside, trying to annoy him, but Powell was happy to allow I’m The Business to stay alongside him as he continued to keep his mount at a comfortable gallop. Read more ...

TORBRECK SALUTES FOR THE SECOND TIME IN HIS LAST THREE STARTS (SEPTEMBER 8)

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The Birdsville Race Club describes their Birdsville Cup Carnival as ‘as event like no other.’

It is on the ‘bucket list’ for so many racing enthusiasts … and the beauty of it is that anybody who goes there knows exactly what to expect … which includes anything from dust to mud to off track high jinks and drinks, to on track race action.

Ok, maybe there will be a few surprises, but, in general, people are there because they want to be there, particularly as it takes a while to make the trip. You certainly don’t arrive by chance.

For trainers, taking runners to the Birdsville Carnival adds another dimension to the logistics required to make as seamless a sortie into the outback as possible.

It takes some resolve to do it with horses to look after … and when a trainer comes away with a winner, it not only makes the whole effort worthwhile, but it also ticks that ‘Birdsville winner’ off the trainer’s own bucket list.

The Corey and Kylie Geran stable raced two horses over the 2022 Birdsville Carnival. Read more ...

A BIRDSVILLE WINNER FOR THE GERAN STABLE (SEPTEMBER 4)

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The seven-year-old mare Vinasta put a Cup win on the Corey and Kylie Geran training partnership’s resume when she proved too strong for her opposition in the Gympie Muster Cup, an Open Handicap contested over 1470m.

The daughter of I Am Invincible jumped as the $2.70 joint favourite with Dare To Share, who would never seriously get into the race, and she was up for the fight right from the break, joining in the hectic chase to the first turn and then going on with it from there.

Emily Lang had Vinasta in a close-up fifth place leaving that turn, but then she quickly took the Geran trained runner up to fourth, then third, then second by the time the field had reached the 800m mark.

Vinasta then held station for about 200m but, going through the 600m mark, Lang, who obviously knew how well Vinasta was travelling and how she enjoyed free-rolling, decided she had spent enough time behind the early leader, the $5.50 chance San Pierre, and she set Vanasta alight. Read more ...

VINASTA TAKES OUT THE GYMPIE MUSTER CUP FOR THE COREY AND KYLIE GERAN STABLE (AUGUST 20)

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Oh Wow! What a day August 13 was for the Corey and Kylie Geran Training Partnership.

Actually, if you saw the reaction of Corey Geran on the grandstand when Winside got up in the shadow of the post, ‘wow’ is probably an understatement … and the team didn’t stop there, taking out the first race at Toowoomba with Torbreck for good measure.

The ‘moment’ of the day was definitely the Winside win though and it came in a Class 6 Handicap over 1200m.

Five months earlier, Winside had given the Geran Racing Team their first metropolitan winner when she dead-heated with the very classy Go Wanji in a BM72 Handicap over 1100 at Toowoomba … but this was town, this was Eagle Farm making it a very special victory that was as well deserved as it was hard earned. (By the way, Go Wanji’s record currently stands at eight wins from eleven starts, underlining the quality of Winside’s run that day at Toowoomba). Read more ...

WINSIDE GIVES THE GERAN TRAINING PARTNERSHIP A MEMORABLE FIRST CITY METROPOLITAN WINNER (AUGUST 13)

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The first Saturday of the new season (August 6) was a very busy day for the Corey and Kylie Geran stable who saddled no less than nine runners across three separate meetings at Doomben, Toowoomba and Nanango.

Their winner for the day came at Nanango where the lightly raced grey mare Swift Miss Fox ($3) scored by a length, once again under the guidance apprentice Emily Lang, who had partnered the Geran trained Jack Be Lucky to victory four days earlier.

Swift Miss Fox, a five-year-old, was only having her sixth career start and has now put two wins behind her name.

The two other runners the Geran team took to Nanango … In A Minute Riley and Vanasta … both claimed third place finishes. Read more ...

A BUSY DAY, ANOTHER WINNER FOR GERAN RACING (AUGUST 6)

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Sometimes you have to win your race twice … and that’s ok … as long as the steward’s verdict comes down in your favour at the conclusion of a protest hearing after a protest has been fired in against your horse being declared the winner.

That is the process that the Corey and Kylie Geran stable had to endure when a protest was lodged against their race winner Jack Be Lucky following his win, by the narrowest of margins, over Boom By By in a Class 2 Handicap over 1200m.

Not that he needed it necessarily, but if ever a runner deserved to have luck go his way it was Jack Be Lucky.

Yes, he had won two out of his last four races, including a last start win … which meant he was sitting on a double success here … but he had also finished in second place no less than five times in his last eight starts and was less than half-a-length back on three of those occasions!

Another second place … if the protest (second against first) was upheld would have been hard to take. Read more ...

A PROTEST SCARE ... BUT JACK BE LUCKY PUTS THE FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON ON THE BOARD FOR GERAN RACING (AUGUST 2)

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