Racing: Fighting finish from rusty rider

If you haven't got a hat, borrow one and raise it to Starbo.

The rugged stayer turned in one of the most astonishingly brave efforts at Trentham on Saturday to be beaten a nose by Van Winkle.

If he'd run last you wouldn't say it was a bad effort, given the work he had to do in running.

It was Laura Tunnell's first ride in four years and it showed.

And before you think this is a bagging of Tunnell, it's not. She did as well as just about any jockey who had not ridden in a race for four years - you simply can't expect a rider's instincts to be sharp under those circumstances.

The reason she was in the saddle was that she rides all the trackwork for Starbo's trainer Allan James and has been schooling the horse in recent months.

Starbo will make his jumping debut at Trentham on Saturday - Tunnell will be the raceday rider and James wanted her to have a proper feel of the horse in his main lead-up.

Another significant reason is that although many tipsters were pinning their faith on Starbo in Saturday's $30,000 Winter Oats, James gave the horse no hope.

And, to be fair, carrying 57kg in Saturday's horrendously testing conditions and, more importantly, conceding 2kg to one as good as Van Winkle, would not lead you down the confidence track with Starbo.

"If he'd run fourth or fifth I'd have been delighted," said James.

The fight Starbo showed, when he was clearly exhausted under his 57kg, was staggering.

I backed Van Winkle and I came very close to barracking for Starbo inside the last 200m as the pair fought out one of the most exciting finishes imaginable.

At least three times Starbo looked beaten only to rally a stride or two later. Even right on the line he thrust his head back at Van Winkle to make it desperately close.

Jockeys work hard under those circumstances - winning rider Paul Taylor took a couple of exhaustion gasps as he started to pull Van Winkle up.

You can only begin to imagine how Tunnell must have felt in her debut ride back.

Adrenalin on her part would have masked any pain.

"I've been so excited for the three weeks leading up to this race," Tunnell said.

That's understandable - the 22-year-old had had only one career win in the saddle. The euphoria that enveloped her as she brought Starbo back far exceeded what most jockeys feel when they win.

"I rushed straight over and thanked Allan for putting me on. Most trainers wouldn't have bothered."

Tunnell began her apprenticeship with Ken and Ann Browne at Cambridge, learning to ride the jumpers right from the start.

She later transferred to Brett McDonald, but gave riding away when weight began to be a problem.

She has been schooling Starbo for more than two and a half years and has finally got her way after pestering James to put the winter stayer in a jumps race for most of that time.

"He's a fabulous jumper," she says.

So good, in fact, that two months ago Tunnell jumped off the horse after a schooling bout at Wanganui and declared to James: "Damn it, I'm going to take out my licence again to ride this horse in his jumps races."

Most horses would be heading for a maiden hurdle event - not Starbo, he's going to be thrown into the deep end in the open class Trentham Hurdles on Saturday.

"He jumps so well himself that I don't want to see him in a big field of inexperienced jumpers," said James.

"The Trentham Hurdles will be a small, select group of horses that can all jump well. That's the place for him."

Provided, that is, that the race receives sufficient entries to be staged.

Van Winkle's co-trainer Evan Rayner says several rival trainers have asked him recently if Van Winkle would be racing over hurdles at Trentham.

"I got the clear impression they were looking to avoid Van Winkle. If enough of them do that the club won't be able to run the race."

Tunnell is devastated at the prospect of the Trentham Hurdles being abandoned.

"I've looked forward to this for a long time."

If Starbo jumps as well as Tunnell says then he is going to be the one Van Winkle has to beat. He gave Van Winkle 2kg and what should have been a beating on Saturday and clearly will lose nothing in the jumping business.

"I schooled him with one of Kevin Myers' horses the other day and there was not one fence he didn't gain a length on the other horse," she said.