A COUNTRY TRIP ... BUT A WIN IS A WIN IS A WIN

By Graham Potter | Saturday, July 13, 2024

You go where your horse can win ... wherever that might be ... and if you get a decent price about its chances, so much the better.

And so it was that KO Racing’s Lady Wairua, a New Zealand bred daughter of Charm Spirit, arrived at a non-Tab meeting at Esk to tackle a BM55 Handicap over 1200m on July 13.

The five-year-old had ten runs for trainer Phillip Stokes for one win and two runner-up finishes prior to relocating to the Corey and Kylie Geran stable ... and then had a further ten runs for the Geran yard without posting another win.

That meant that relatively good odds of $4.20 were available for this Esk assignment where she effectively came into the race as second bottom weight, courtesy of the 2kg claim of Landon Sykes, which was going to be a helpful advantage in a busy contest for the first half of the home straight.

Lady Wairua raced well back, some six to seven lengths off the keenly contested chase up from in the early part, but Sykes then started to bring the Geran trained runner steadily into the race in the long sweep to the home turn. He saved ground until the point of the home turn and then switched four wide to gain some much needed, clear galloping room.

Then the race was on in earnest, with a host of runners trying to stake their claim.

Inside the 150m mark there were six horses, spread across the track, all in real contention, but Sykes now had Lady Wairua in full cry and the Geran trained runner thrived on the challenge, reaching the lead in the last 75m and staying on strongly to hold all challengers at bay.

The pressure involved in the finish is emphasised by the fact that only 1.50 lengths covered the first seven runners across the line.

The winning margin was 0.40 lengths.
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Jack Be Lucky is only six-year-old, but he seems to have been around forever as a real warhorse for the Corey and Kylie Geran stable ... and the son of Holy Roman Empire claimed his ninth career victory when taking out an Open Plate over 1200m at Esk on July 13.

Jack Be Lucky’s win completed a double for the Geran/Landan Sykes trainer/rider combination with the stable having won earlier in the day with Lady Wiarua.

Whereas Lady Wiarua had to work a bit for her win, Jack Be Lucky came under no such pressure, charging to a comfortable win by a sound 2.30 length margin.

Sykes jumped Jack be Lucky in the leading line before settling in a close-up second place, hugging the rail just a length off the leader in the early part.

Sykes was content to hold that position until the approach to the home turn where he improved along the inside Mort Doyle ($10) to move to the head of affairs on the point on the turn.

Jack be Lucky then stretched out confidently in the run home, to win as he liked, only being ridden hands and heels by Sykes over the final 100m.

That’s nine wins now for Jack Be Lucky ... and would you believe, thirteen runner-up finishes ... from thirty starts. The don’t come more honest than that.

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