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

By Graham Potter | Wednesday, May 8, 2024

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.

Spirit Fox had two trials leading into this race, the second one coming a month before this debut run. There was nothing wrong with either of those efforts, but also nothing of real note about them in a positive sense, so he came to Eagle Farm as something of an unknown under race conditions.

Little did most punters know that he was absolutely going to thrive in the heat of battle.

In fact, even as late as halfway up the home straight you would have thought that Spirit Fox was probably going to run a nice place, but ... oh no ... once he the leaders in his sights, the son of Spirit Of Boom and jockey Kyle Wilson-Taylor remained intent on running the leaders down and Spirit Fox succeeded in doing that in quite astonishing fashion.

It was a race easier to lose than to win.

At the 800m mark Wilson-Taylor had to take half a hold on Spirit Fox when racing in tight galloping room. That left him in seventh place, worst than midfield, some six lengths off the leader in the sweep to the home turn and he was only marginally closer to the lead on straightening.

Having travelled on the rail throughout, Wilson-Taylor kept Spirit Fox on the inside for the first half of the straight. The Geran trained runner was still four lengths back with only 200m left to run but, suddenly, when it mattered most, Spirit Fox was now full of running, shifting wider, accelerating with meaning, finishing best of all and closing ground on the leaders with every stride.

The jockeys on the two leaders, the $2.40 favourite Hearts Are Better and Concession ($7.50), who had been joined in battle at the head of affairs for the whole length of the straight, must have thought their fight was for the win, but Spirit Fox ultimately arrived on the scene so quickly and went right past them with an absolute flourish to claim that very long shot victory by 0.38 lengths that they probably didn’t even hear him coming.

Wins, particularly from a two-year-old on debut, don’t come much better than that!

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