SPREYTON trainer Vicki Rhind says she is still learning about four-year-old gelding Kirkson that scored one of the most impressive wins on the nine-event card at Tapeta Park Spreyton over 1650 metres on Sunday.
Kirkson (Falkirk-Assonnata) had been working up to a win having finished just behind the placegetters at two of his previous three starts.
In most of his outings this preparation he has been allowed to drift back and settle in a rearward position then make ground late in his races.
But on Sunday he was ridden more aggressively by visiting Victorian-based apprentice Omer Ay who had Kirkson settled third and ready to strike nearing the home turn.
When Ay called on the gelding to extend turning for home the four-year-old quickly gathered in the leaders and stormed to the front.
He hit the line 1-1/4 lengths clear of Our Lieveling that flashed home down the outside fence with one of the race leaders Penny’s To Gold only a nose astern.
“It’s taken me quite a while to work this horse out because we bought him as a sprinter from Melbourne but he’s always worked more like a stayer,” Rhind said.
“The rider rode him more forward and that helped the way the race panned out but he was going to win a long way from home,” she said.
Rhind is confident the gelding will handle wet tracks so he will be campaigned through the winter.
“There’s no doubt he’ll handle rain-affected going and he should be better suited over more ground.”
“There’s some very suitable races coming up over longer trips and if the weather does what we expect it to do in winter he should be very competitive in whatever he contests the coming months,” she said.
Kirkson was bred in NZ and sold as a weanling to Victorian interests for $38,000 then later passed in at the 2009 NZ Select Yearling Sale when the bidding stopped at $77,000 which was $3000 below his reserve.
The gelding made his way to the stables of Mick Price at Caulfield where he debuted with a third in a 2YO maiden at Sale but he was spelled after only two starts.
He won first-up at Moe (1208m) but he failed to lace in two more preparations so he was sent to Rhind’s stable in September last year.
Rhind has a dozen in work at her Spreyton stables and she says that’s enough to keep her busy through the winter months.
“I’ve got four or five very nice younger horses so they make it easier to get up on the colder mornings,” she said.
Her star three-year-old filly Bel Price (x Bel Esprit) pulled up lame after her Magic Millions Classic win over 1200 metres in Launceston on Cup day.
She was diagnosed with bone chips but she is recovering well from an operation to remove the chips from both knees.
“The operation was an absolute success and I’m very happy with the filly.”
“She is in the paddock for another six months but if everything goes to plan she’ll be back racing around carnival time next year,” she said.