TWO CUPS IN TEN MINUTES ... THIS WAS A BIG DAY FOR THE COREY AND KYLIE GERAN TRAINING PARTNERSHIP

By Graham Potter | Saturday, October 12, 2024

What a day for the Corey and Kylie Geran training partnership!

4.05pm … Nikau Spur runs his opposition ragged to land the Listed Queensland Cup!

4.15pm … It’smemario comes home a clearcut winner of the Warwick Cup.
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There is no better way of putting a feature race disappointment behind you than by pressing forward and continuing to try and prepare that runner to perfection for his next start … and then see him come out and smash the opposition, in the process handing the stable the added bonus of delivering their first Listed race winner.

That’s the short version of the Corey and Kylie Geran trained Nikau Spur’s outstanding result in the Listed Queensland Cup over 2400m at Eagle Farm on October 12, in which the eight-year-old gelding trounced the opposition under the superb handling of champion jockey Jimmy Orman, running right away from the opposition and staying on strongly all the way to the line to secure that landmark victory by a decisive three length margin.

The stayer accelerated like a sprinter.

It was also a first Listed race success for Grant Goodrum’s GG Racing whose colours Nikau Spur was racing in for the second time. The first of those runs was Nikau Spur’s second placing in the Toowoomba Cup, which is the home-town cup for Geran racing … hence, as mentioned, the disappointment there for the stable in his previous start (it was Nikau Spur’s second successive runner-up finish in the race), but one which they have now been quickly put behind them.

The Queensland Cup was an open betting race with Nikau Spur sitting on the second line of betting at $6 behind the $4 favourite Artful Girl.

Orman had Nikau Spur well enough away from the number one barrier draw but, as the speed came around him on the outside, Orman was happy to settle his mount in eighth place, holding the rail position, racing just worse than midfield some five lengths off the leader as the field went down back stretch and through the sweep to the home turn, with Orman showing admirable patience, waiting for the moment that the field straightened for home … with Nikau Spur cornering two wide … before making his move.

That was when Orman began to push Nikai Spur forward, but his first task was to navigate a route through the wall of horses in front of him. He made that decision with no hesitation at all, angling back to the inside, to be one off the rail, where there was the gap that Nikau Spur he needed to be able to stretch out to his full capability.

And Nikau Spur needed no second asking to do that.

The smart looking chestnut immediately made up ground and then simply slipped into another gear which none of his rivals could match, a move which already took him into the lead inside the 250m and which then allowed him to put the opposition to the sword over the concluding stages.

Post race, a very pleased Jimmy Orman described the race from his perspective.

“Yeah, it all turned out good,” said Orman.

“The barrier certainly helped, although I wanted to be a lot closer. I gave him a squeeze to do that and I was regretting that decision around the back because he was just tugging me a little bit.

‘Coming to the turn, I was just following Luke (aboard Chase ‘N’ Artie) and it looked like he was getting into an awkward spot and I was just contemplating whether I stay there, or not. I didn’t know where I was going there for a moment to be honest … but (on straightening) I was lucky the run opened up on the inside and he shot the gap really quickly.

“For a horse like him to sprint like that at the end … for a stayer he really sprinted fast.”

Nikau Spur is a good looking chestnut anyway … but in full flight he is a real sight to behold … and when it comes with a win in this fashion … well, it just doesn’t get much better than this for his connections.

It was a big, unforgettable moment for the co-trainers and the ownership group.
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Very soon after the Geran’s first City Listed winner was in the bank … just a matter of minutes in fact … It’smemario reminded everybody that, although the Gearn stable had just been successfully in raising the bar elsewhere, the Geran training partnership were also still very much focused on that part of the racing landscape where they originally started to build their brand with many successes … namely Country Cup racing!

And attention to that detail gave them another Country Cup success when It’smemario took out the Warwick Cup, an Open Handicap over 1500m.

Easy to back at $7, Nozi Tomizawa had It’smemario back in eighth place, but only three lengths off the lead, shortly after the break as a hectic, packed chase for the lead unfolded in front of him.

After racing one off the fence for much of the sweep to the home turn, Tomizawa began shifting out looking for clear air to the point that he had It’smemario all of five wide on straightening, but now only two lengths back and, importantly, with a clear passage to the line.

As the saying goes, he was now close enough if good enough.

For about 100m there, the race looked like a cavalry charge, with contenders spread right across the track. It’smemario was one of those runners and, with a show of determination, the Geran trained runner reached the front inside the final 200m, but he had the $14 chance Sunfall in tow at that stage, looking a lively threat.

With It’smemario kicking on strongly, Sunfall peaked on his run at the 100m mark, leaving It’smemario to stride away to what turned out to be a comfortable, well-deserved win by a clearcut two length margin.
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Two Cups for the stable and $111 800 banked in winning prize-money, all garnered in just ten minutes of racing action.

It might look like a hot-spot and feel like a hot-spot … ok, of course, it was a hot-spot of form, but it is worth remembering that these memorable ten minutes was not an overnight success story … but more like a reward for all of those hours of hard work and dedication that the entire Geran team put in back home over a long period of time to get their runners to perform at their best.

All credit to them.

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