Spell works magic on Wilson gelding
A NINE-MONTH spell in the Hunter Valley has paved the way for Solspeil to secure his maiden win.
The four-year-old gelding won Saturday’s Colts, Geldings and Entires Maiden Handicap (1400m) at the Aquis Park for Gold Coast trainer Marcus Wilson.
Solspeil settled towards the back of the field with jockey Glen Colless who steered the gelding five-wide down the straight, taking the lead in the final 100m before winning by three lengths.
The run came more than a year after Solspeil’s last race, a ninth in Toowoomba.
“It was a pretty big win and pretty impressive,” Wilson said. “He came to me as an unraced three-year-old who probably didn’t show he was going to be up the grade in Sydney.
“He was a big, immature horse last preparation and pulled up shin sore after his second start at Toowoomba.
“He is a horse who is probably bred to be better with age and over a trip.
“We thought we would give him a good spell and we gave him about nine months out in the Hunter Valley.
“He came back a lot bigger and stronger horse and was working well. We gave him a couple of trials this time in and his first trial was good, he didn’t get beaten far, I think only a couple of lengths. His second trial was fair.”
Solspeil, who had a throat operation as a two-year-old, was given a pair of visors for Saturday’s run and a crossover noseband while the tongue-tie was taken off.
“The blinkers switched him on a bit but it was hard to say he was a winning chance on his form.
“I thought if he could race up to his work then he is a top four chance. We thought they may be too sharp for him in the last bit but the way it turned out he was very strong and won quite easily.”
Wilson will look to bring Solspeil back to the track in the next two or three weeks to race over 1400m or 1600m.