b4breeding

Beautiful sunny Cambridge morning, and I’m at the modest workouts (looked up the fields last night and only a few are turning up). Amongst those having a run is Souvenir Glory, Kym’s 6yo Elsu mare (1 win, 3 placings) – we know her as Georgie, the filly bought as a weanling from Alabar and who has accompanied Kym as she learns more about training. The older she gets, the better she gets – the horse and the trainer lol. So it was with some anticipation I am at Cambridge to see how the long hours Kym has put in to bring Georgie to race fitness have resulted. Kyle Marshall is driving her. A few other C1 horses and a much higher graded horse Risk are in the workout heat with Georgie. That’s ok. We can get a line on where she’s at.

Then I hear the workout announcer call the horses to the track, and the names that leap out for me are Lazarus and Chase The Dream.

What?? First thought – hah, nice joke. Next thought – oh my god, that’s the All Stars colours out on the track! Third thought – Bugger!

However, I’ve got to report that all went well. The heat included those two stars, plus Risk (C5 star in the making), Dave Iremonger’s Waipipi Falcon and Souvenir Glory (both C1). Others had defected or got shuffled into the next heat.

Off the arm we go, and Souvenir Glory heads to the front. Leads them around in a tactically sedate pace (great drive Kyle) for most of the race and when – as we know it will – the last half rush happens, she fights on like a tiger. I’d love to say, “and wins” but we save that for dreams.

Fact is, she “whacked on very well” as the course announcer said, and was a very respectable 4th behind Lazarus, Risk and Chase The Dream in that order.

Proud? You bet we are. It’s not often your C1 pacer gets a chance to strut her stuff on the racetrack with the top guns of harness racing. Talking to their drivers afterwards, they were only looking for a fast last half workout as part of their preparation for the big races coming up. A salute to them for making it a race where everyone got their wishes and no horse got crushed. Only regret? One of the few times I didn’t take my camera.

Georgie blew up a little across her back, so there is still improvement there…Kym says she was full of herself tonight and ate up well.

Lovely.