TEAM GERAN SCORES A STABLE DOUBLE WITH TWO CONTRASTING WINS AT GATTON

By Graham Potter | Saturday, June 29, 2024

The impressive winning strike-rate of the Corey and Kylie Geran stable continues.

The up-and-coming stable put another training double on the scoreboard when Vonzither and Island Tide saluted at Gatton on June 29 with Island Tide’s win being of particular significance as it was the Geran team’s tenth winner for the month ... a new record for the stable.

The two wins could not have come in more contrasting fashion.

Vonzither ... well, how much does she love a fight!

The chestnut daughter of Toronado was landing a double of her own when he scored a last gasp victory in BM62 Handicap over 1400m at Gatton in a race in which that fighting spirit, which she had displayed so gallantly in her win at the Sunshine Coast in her previous start in which only 1.50 lengths separated the first six horses across the line, was again fully tested.

Landing the leading line here, Vonzither (the $3.60 favourite) went back to second, then third, then fourth as the field went down the back stretch, but, while there was this positional change, Justin Huxtable never had Vonzither more than two lengths off the lead, maintaining a prominent presence as he waited to ask the Geran trained runner for her finishing effort.

That positional movement was reversed once Huxtable gave Vonzither more rein. The five-year-old chestnut was quickly up to third in the approach to the home turn ... then up to second on straightening, with only left Rockin’ Artie ($7.50) left to be run down.

Vonzither actually moved into a narrow lead early in the straight, but Rockin’ Artie was equally game for the fight and the gelding was not about to go away, testing Vonzither every stride of the way down the home straight and even threatening to come right back at the Geran trained runner close to the line ... with Flying Birds ($5) also flying up late along the inside ... meaning Vonzither had to maintain her stout effort right up to the very last stride to score by the narrowest, narrowest of margins to claim her fifth career victory.
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Island Tide, the second leg of a Geran trained race to race double ... was a far easier watch for connections.

Racing in the GG Racing colours, Island Tide (a $2.60 equal favourite), was sent into an immediate lead from the number two barrier draw by Landan Sykes and, although she had a couple of runners trying to annoy him early, the daughter of All Too Hard never put a hoof wrong, controlling the race throughout, dropping her rivals one by one ... to the degree that Island Tide turned into the home straight with a two length advantage over her nearest challenger with Sykes still seemingly sitting with a handful of horse.

From there, although Szabo ($8) did keep up the chase, it was basically a victory procession as Island Tide went to the line to win as she liked, scoring every bit as easily as the 3.50 length winning margins suggests.

Island Tide’s two wins for the Geran team (in only three starts since changing stables) have both come over the short, sharp sprint (800m and 860m), but she did place over 1200m ... including in one race in town ... when with her pervious trainer David Vandyke, so it appears that she does have some fair options distance-wise moving forward.

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