THE WINNERS PILE UP FOR COREY AND KYLIE GERAN

By Graham Potter | Saturday, June 15, 2024

Absolutely smashing it!

That’s what the Corey and Kylie Geran training partnership were doing on Friday June 14 and Saturday June 15.

On the Friday night at the Sunshine Coast they saddled a long-priced stable quinella with Vonzither and New Maher ... see separate story (BOILOVER! THE GERAN STABLE SADDLE A LONG-PRICED QUINELLA UNDER LIGHTS AT THE SUNSHINE COAST
...and then on Saturday they had another four horses earn winning cheques for their respective connections when they came away with a same-day double at both Warwick (at a non-tab meeting) and Toowoomba.
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The Warwick winners on June 15 were Must Be The Money and Shotgun Sixtyfour.

Must Be The Money started a $2 favourite when shedding her Maiden ticket at the eighth time of asking when stepping out to the 1350m trip for the first time.

The three-year-old landed in the leading line, but Landan Sykes was content to let the speed go and he settled the Geran trained runner in fourth place early, racing some four lengths off the lead ... but he wasn’t going to stay there for long.

In the approach to the home turn Sykes gave Must Be The Money more rein and the daughter of No Nay Never responded on cue, doing it easy ... although three wide ... to quickly cut back the deficit to the degree that she was in the lead by the time the field straightened for home.

From there it was simply no contest when Must Be The Money drawing clear of her opposition without any undue fuss to embarrass her nearest rival to the tune of 5.30 lengths ... and that was with Must Be The Money easing up over the final strides.

Five races later, the Geran stable made it a double success with Shotgun Sixtyfour, who saluted in a Class B Handicap, also over 1350m ... again with Landan Sykes doing the honours in the saddle.

Shotgun Sixtyfour also started favourite ($2.80), but the five-year-old mare had two market rivals in the form of Contessa Mile and Lynched, who both started at $3 ... and the race panned out exactly that way with Shotgun Sixtyfour beating those two runners into second and third place respectively.

Shotgun Sixtyfour landed in the lead, but again Sykes was happy to allow his mount to slip back through the field early ... although he was never more than three lengths back in a fairly tightly bunched field.

The way in which the young rider allows his mounts to settle and find their own comfortable rhythm is impressive and, in this case, Sykes allowed Shotgun Sixtyfour the perfect setup from which to launch her challenge when the time came to produce it.

Five wide on the turn but gaining ground, Sykes then urged his mount to put the race to bed and Shotgun Sixtyfour duly responded on cue to surge forward.

There was a moment of concern when Shotgun Sixtyfour started to run in approaching the 200m causing inconvenience to runners on her inside as she swept into the lead, but, once that lead had been established the Geran trained runner ran on strongly to the line to win by a comfortable enough 1.50 length margin.

This was Shotgun Sixtyfour’s second successive success after her win at Kilcoy in her previous start ... a very welcome change of form, given that she had finished in second place on no less than six occasions in the ten starts prior to scoring that breakthrough win at Kilcoy.
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The Geran stable winners at Toowoomba on June 15 were It’smemario and Tokyo Sins.

Shotgun Sixtyfour’s win at Warwick on the afternoon of June 15 was in a race that jumped at 4pm. Forty-six minutes later the first race jumped at Toowoomba and, in that race, the Corey and Kylie Geran training partnership claimed their third winner of the day when It’smemario won a Class 1 Handicap over 1200m.

It had been a while between drinks for the three-year-old chestnut, who only previous win had come in a Maiden in May 2023, but the son of Brave Smash bounced back well here, having it all to do from a wide number eleven barrier draw.

A clear favourite at $2.50, It’smemario was held wide and went back to just worse than midfield in the early part.

He was still three wide, with eight horses in front of him in the sweep to the home turn, and Karl Zechner had no option but to switch out wider still in the approach to the home turn if It’smemario was to find clear galloping room when it mattered most.

They did find clear air, but It’smemario was all of six wide on straightening and with as much as six lengths still left to make up.

Even though It’smemario was now quickening up nicely, it looked like it might be too tough an ask from there, but the Geran trained runner was up for it, and he proceeded to produce a scintillating display of acceleration which saw him blast past all of those in front of him to win going away with just under a length in hand.

It was impressive.

And it was the ever-consistent Tokyo Sins who completed the Geran stable double on the night.

How’s this for a race record.

Since joining the Geran stable Tokyo Sins has now raced eight times for four wins, two seconds (both by only a 0.20 length margin) and two third places.

Here, the five-year-old daughter of Mikki Isle was making it back-to-back wins when she took out a BM60 Handicap over 870m under the guidance of apprentice Jasper Franklin, who was riding the horse for the first time.

It wasn’t a good start though. Tokyo Sins ($5.50) missed the jump and with a strong speed put into the race up front, the Geran trained runners was quickly left a full four lengths behind the second last horse early.

The saving grace there was that, such was the keen competition for the lead, Tokyo Sins seven rivals were only all separated by length in the early rush, meaning that Tokyo Sins effectively has five lengths to make up coming through the 800m mark.

To his credit, Franklin didn’t panic. Instead, he urged his mount along with just enough vigour to still allow Tokyo Sins to get into a rhythm, a tactical combination which brought Tokyo Sins right up to the pack, racing along the inside, as the field approached the home turn.

Tokyo Sins had more top give at that stage, but not much room to work with,

Up to fourth place on straightening but momentarily trapped between runners, Franklin managed to squeeze Tokyo Sins through a narrow gap, but then still found himself racing in close quarters.

With less than 100m left to run, Tokyo Sins had moved right up into the leading line of three runners spread across the track ... and then she found that vital, little bit extra over the final strides to edge clear to gain a hard fought, narrow victory, and one that was of particular merit given how far back she had come from after bungling the start.

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