ROB'S SHOUT - CAN GID UP STROP AND HOPFGARTEN STEP UP TO THE MARK AND CLAIM CARNIVAL GLORY?

By Robert Heathcote | Thursday, April 16, 2015

Robert Heathcote is one of the leading racehorse trainers in Brisbane. 'Rob's Shout', the personal blog of the multi-premiership and multi Group 1 winning trainer appears weekly, exclusively on HRO.

The loss of Buffering for this year’s winter carnival has been a tough pill to swallow under the circumstances ... but there is no better healer than possibly finding another horse to represent the stable in feature races.

Gid Up Strop may have an unusual name. He is part-owned by a famous identity in racing and he sports some colours worn by some of the legends of the turf ... but for me he is an exciting horse who can possibly win a feature race during the carnival.

It was a big call to spell him after several promising runs, but without a Saturday metropolitan win, but thankfully he ticked that box second-up last Saturday’s three-year-old mile race as we hoped he would!

I am very grateful to Duncan Ramage, who managers Think Big Stud’s assignment of horses, for sending Gid Up Strop up North. He is raced by Dato Tan Chin Nam and Barry and Jeff Norris who bred him by Think Big’s very successful racehorse and derby winner himself, Pendragon.

Ya gotta laugh at Jeff’s story about the name ... his dog’s name is Strop and he is always upping him!

Can this bloke win a derby?

Dunno to be honest, but gee he is showing plenty of positive signs and his pedigree suggests he will stay the trip. He has a lovely turn of foot which got him home under a very cool ride from Damian Browne.

Gid Up Strop will now head to the Gold Coast 1800m three-year-old race on Saturday week before the Rough Habit Plate over 2000m two weeks later. Then onto the Grand Prix, again over 2000m and then the big one, his holy Grail as a three-year-old, the Queensland Derby!

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As I said, with Buffering out for the carnival we need another stable rep to step up to the mark along with Strop. Who better than another Mossman gelding in Hopfgarten?

He had an excellent win first-up and his recent second-up mile runner-up finish to Sir Moments was brilliant.

Strangely he jumped a ‘plastic bag’ during the running which had blown onto the track. Now that was a damn first ... so who says they have seen it all?

Hopfgarten’s jockey said it definitely affected the horse as he lost his rhythm and cost him ground. He was not beaten far but full credit to Sir Moments who is a pure talent when he puts it together.

No disgrace to be beaten by Sir Moments when he is on song!

Don’t ya just love Timmy Bell’s cheeky grin to the cameras as he crosses the line when he wins?

Shades of Bossy or what!

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Can these two very nice four-year-old local geldings, along with the locally trained Rudy who did us proud in the Doncaster, take the next huge step up to weight for age in the Hollindale Stakes on Saturday week?

It is going to be a tough task as there will surely be top horses from NZ and NSW coming for the lucrative prize money, but I am sure Steve O’Dea and Helen Page are, like me, and happy to have a crack at it.

OK, I do have trepidations about the Gold Coast which has not been a happy hunting ground for me over the years and a huge question mark exists over the ability of our local horses to take the step up to WFA standard. But hey, should we have a go or leave ‘em in their boxes???

Some narks might say we are no chance. I guess that doesn’t matter much to me or the excited owners! Let’s have a crack is what I say!

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Jopa is lining up for the stable again on Saturday. What a delightful addition to the stable he has been since he joined us.

’They’ said he won’t get a yard past a 1000m when he joined the stable but he sure has proved ‘them’ wrong with wins as far as 1400m ... and in open company!

We love him and he has lovely owners. Jodie and Paul, yep, that’s where Jopa’s name comes from and JOdie and PAul who once even made the trip done from Cairns to see him run only for the meeting to be called off 30 minutes before his race was due ... on a wet track where I thought he was a certainty.

Jodie and Paul say Jopa is part of their family and that’s spot on because he’s become part of ours at the stables as well.

Not sure who will be riding him Saturday.

The exciting young talent Matt McGilivray has been stood down due to a swab irregularity. I can only hope it is an anomaly and Matt is back riding soon as he sure is an exciting talent as seen by his recent wins!

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The carnival is on our doorstep and its getting exciting again with the good horses back in action.

Fingers crossed the weather is kind to us as I am sure the under pressure track managers could do with some respite.

In that regard it is a tough time we are going through at present ... but I am happy to leave the recriminations to others.

Happy punting.

Robert

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