By Matt Markham
A last minute decision to chuck an unraced three-year-old on the float for a learning trip to the West Coast paid dividends for strike-rate trainers, Jim and James Geddes over the weekend.
The father and son training combination had no plans whatsoever initially to take Mogul on the trip to the Coast. But a spare space and the idea of exposing the gelding to racing seemed like a good idea.
And when the son of American Ideal did it tough on Friday at Westport and won impressively on debut, the Geddes clan were just as shocked as anyone else. But things got even more bizarre when he stepped up in grade and repeated the dose at Reefton two days later.
“We had no expectations with him this weekend,” James Geddes said.
“Honestly, the trip was more about him gaining a bit of experience and learning a few things, what he’s managed to do on the two days is on raw ability because he knows nothing.
“I thought he might be alright after he ran a pretty quick quarter at Ashburton at the trials on day, but certainly not the sort of horse who would come out and win his first two starts.”
Raced by James and former horse trainer, Clarrie Sprott, Mogul is the last foal from handy mare Village Lady who Sprott trained to win five races.
“Clarrie was getting out of the game and asked one day if we wanted to take over Village Lady.
“His only condition was that he had a share in the foal so that’s how we’ve come to race him.
“Clarrie actually rang me on Saturday, he wasn’t surprised by Friday’s win as he said the mare had a bit of bottom to her.”
Ricky May handled the driving duties on Sunday at Reefton with James electing to handle stablemate, Buckeye.
“Gee, he’s a nice horse alright,” May said after the race.
“That’s a pretty impressive effort to beat that field for a horse who has done as little as what he has done.
“There were some nice horses in there.”
The for sale sign is firmly up on Mogul, as is the case with almost all of the Geddes horses.
With a rather large dairy operation to run as well as training a decent sized team, there’s a desire to keep things ticking over at the stable and with the current dairy prices a decent sale of an equine nature would be a welcome result.
The stable added three winners to their season tally over the weekend with Bontz also winning a maiden.
An American Ideal four-year-old mare out of the unraced Blue Delight, who is by Bettor’s Delight, Bontz was desperately unlucky on the opening day of the weekend when Pembrook Harry stopped on her lap at the 400 metre mark.
“After that I was bit more hesitant about who I was going to hand up to this time,” Geddes, who did the driving said.
“Gav (Gavin Smith) said he was staying in front so that was good enough for me.
“She deserves to win a race that’s for sure, and she should be able to pick up another couple too I think.”
With Buzkill running third, Sunday was a great day for the stable who after three wins on the weekend now sit on four for the season from just 30 starters.
That’s their best tally for a few seasons and sees them within a shot of reaching their highest number of wins, seven, since the pair began training together in 2003.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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