CELESTIAL HARBOUR MAKES THE TRIP WORTHWHILE

By Graham Potter | Friday, April 5, 2024

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.

He first looked to the outside ... then back to the inside ... then outside again, a run he settled on, as he started to get busy on Celestial Harbour with 400m left to run.

Slowly ... slowly, at first, Celestial Harbour started to make up ground and then, just inside the 200m mark, he had built enough momentum to range up to the leader, the $2.35 favourite Penman, and go right past the main fancy to win going away by 1.83 lengths.

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