Racing: Headache mare eases trainer's pain

Geeza and rider Cameron Lammas. Photo / Supplied

Racehorses can have all sorts of physical problems.

When you add mental problems, horse trainers have nightmares.

Opie Bosson gave a hand gesture as he went across the finish line in front on Veloce Bella in Saturday's $100,000 Travis Stakes at Te Rapa.

It's very short odds trainer Mark Brosnan in the grandstand did the same.

It's been a long road.

Veloce Bella's last racetrack victory was back in October 2007 and since then Brosnan has fought serious tendon injuries and a reluctance to leave the starting gates after Veloce Bella hurt her head when the front of her gate failed to open in a race at Trentham earlier this season.

"She's a headache horse," said Brosnan, but there was no sign of a migraine as Veloce Bella returned to the weigh-in.

You can understand Veloce Bella's owners wanting to try and recapture the mare's form before her tendon problem.

At her best Veloce Bella is truly outstanding and can run late sectionals in her races few can even get close to.

"She was beautifully ridden by Opie today," said Brosnan.

"He gets on so well with her."

Bosson waited at the back of the field for as long as he dared before asking for the overdrive and when Veloce Bella dashed at the leaders from the 150m, the sprint was irresistible.

But you had to feel a little sorry for Culminate, who Veloce Bella bombed in front at the 75m.

Sam Spratt, surprisingly, chose to not let Culminate slide forward to perhaps take the lead off Keffiya, nor ease into the trail behind Keffiya.

Culminate appeared confused sitting on the leader's hindquarters and did not settle properly.

She went up and tackled Keffiya at the 500m, took over on the home turn, fought off the others and because of wearing blinkers she did not see Veloce Bella attacking quickly wide out on the track.

Culminate loves nothing more than a fight and she did not get the chance to fight the winner.

But the stable got the answer to the question it posed by putting Culminate in the race - she will be more than competitive at 2000m when she returns to racing in the spring.

Gin Dartre fought bravely for third and looks to have another win in her soon.

Central Districts filly Awesome Planet showed her Awapuni win was no fluke by running a game fourth.

Many good Australian judges rate apprentice Nicholas Hall, son of former riding great Greg Hall, the best staying rider in Melbourne.

It's difficult to argue with that assessment after Hall's performance on the Murray and Bjorn Baker-trained Bakup in Saturday's St Leger at Flemington. Hall couldn't get Bakup closer than fourth, but could not have ridden the horse better.

Bakup copped a buffeting barging between horses at the 300m, but Hall had no option but to send the horse into the gap so late in the race.

Similarly, Michael Rodd rode a great race on the Baker-trained Mr Tipsy for third in the Sydney Cup.

After being wide from his gate early, Rodd got Mr Tipsy beautifully placed seventh on the outside, before a runner inside barged him out three deep at the 900m.

Rodd got the horse back one-off, challenged at the right time and simply wasn't good enough.

Difficult to know just how good Geeza might be.

Saturday's $85,000 Windsor Park Cambridge Breeders Stakes was his fourth win from just six starts, yet Matamata trainer Lance Noble says he has all along been guessing about how good the horse might end up.

And you can see why. Geeza only ever does as much as is required and not a bit more.

"He gets to the front in his races and waits for them," said Noble, slightly frustrated, but delighted to have a smart galloper. "I haven't been sure how good he was, but I suspected he might be pretty good."

A number of the 10 shares in Geeza have been syndicated and the group of owners in the birdcage presentation was so large photographers were grasping for wider lens to get them all in.

There was considerable excitement and it was evidence that syndication is the future of racing.

If 30 people showed up to watch every horse at every race meeting imagine the atmosphere.

There was considerable interest in a Queensland winter campaign among the owners afterwards.

The finishing effort of Santangelo to get up for second was stylish.

She looks to have a big future following the spell she will now have.

Jason Waddell provided a sensational moment early in the race when he lost his right hand stirrup iron as Islington Bay clipped a heel.

How he managed to stay in the saddle and regain the stirrup iron remains a mystery.