NEVER GIVE UP LIVES UP TO HIS NAME

By Graham Potter | Saturday, May 18, 2024

The lightly raced Never Give Up turned a BM60 contest over 1200m at Toowoomba on May 18 into a winning debut for his new stable ... the Corey and Kylie Geran training partnership ... when he outgunned the Tony Gollan trained favourite Set To Shine to score by 0,20 lengths.

Never Give Up is the second tried runner sourced from the highly respected David Vandyke yard by GG Racing ... and, like On Hold who followed a similar path before him, Never Give Up wasted no time at all in starting to replay the investment for his new ownership group.

Never Give Up had won twice (over 1200m and 1400m) while under Vandyke’s care in eight starts and the son of Heroic Valour logical starting point, first-up after a five month break from race action, was this 1200m distance.

Never Give Up jumped as the $4.40 second favourite (Set To Shine topped the boards at $3.90) and was immediately set a task in a fairly hectic start in which half-a-dozen runners broke from the gates with some meaning looking to establish a prominent position early.

Jockey Karl Zechner was alert to that situation, and he duly pushed Never Give Up forward from the number six barrier, importantly going past Set To Shine after the field had covered 200m (Set To Shine had landed in the lead but then was pulled out of the early speed battle)... to settle in fourth spot, a little over two lengths off the leader.

Set To Shine, started to make his play for victory in the approach to the home turn, coming from a length-and-a-half behind Never Give Up, to range up four wide alongside the Geran trained runner as the two favourites swept up to the head of affairs on straightening.

Never Give Up held a narrow advantage at the stage, but Set To Shine poured the pressure on her rival, not only by matching strides early in the straight, but also when shifting in and giving Never Give Up a bump at the 200m ... and that was when Never Give Up showed he had another string to his bow.

Far from being intimidated, Never Give Up grew in stature as the weight of the challenge increased and, just as he had responded to find the position he wanted early in the battle, so did Never Give Up once again rally to the cause, never giving an inch as he fought on doggedly to the line to hold Set To Shine at bay.

It turned out to be a testing first-up effort for his new stable, but there was plenty to like about the way Never Give Up went about his business.

He had to work at both ends, soak up some pressure and stay committed.

He ticked all of these boxes.

*Never Give Up was the first of two winners for Corey and Kylie Geran at the meeting. Medical Autocrat saluted in a later race

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