Waterhouse reject proves his worth
Vaunting repays faith of Far North syndicate, racking up another win
THE famous Gai Waterhouse stable pushed him out after injury struck but the orange colours of a Far North racing syndicate were more than happy to give Vaunting a chance.
Vaunting made up for a luckless run in the recent Atherton Cup in Saturday’s Bill Dawson Memorial Gordonvale Cup and now has the Innisfail Cup on the agenda later this month.
There were three that the punters came for in the last race at Gordonvale Turf Club on Saturday, with Vaunting, Stable Surprize and How Can I Help all starting in the $3-4 range, but the five-year-old former Waterhouse gelding started the favourite and showed why over 1800m.
Now trained at Atherton by Samantha Molino and with stable jockey Stephen Wilson back in the saddle, Vaunting scored by two lengths in the $15,000 101st edition of the race, from Hot Saga, trained by Fred Wieland.
Tom Hedley, president of the Cairns Jockey Club and part owner of Vaunting, is pleased he decided to bring the gelding, by Fastnet Rock from Hifalutin, north.
“He hurt a bone in his leg and they pushed him out down in Sydney obviously,” he said.
“We have given him some time since then.
“I thought he would be very hard to beat and he should have won the Atherton too, actually.
“The horse has taken the next step, which is good, considering we bought him for nothing basically after he was a $260,000 yearling.”
Saturday’s Gordonvale Cup was Vaunting’s third victory from nine starts in 2017, with the Innisfail Cup in a fortnight the next step.
“I think we will now run him in the Innisfail Cup and then put him away for next year,” Hedley said.
Earlier in the day, Gordonvale trainer Ralph Baker bagged one for the locals as Nic’s Time made it two wins on the bounce in the Class B Handicap (1100m).
Cairns apprentice hoop Amanda Thomson was in outstanding form at Gordonvale on Saturday, riding a double as well as two seconds and a third from the five-race card.
Racing in North Queensland turns to Townsville’s Cluden Park this Friday afternoon.
THE HORSE HAS TAKEN THE NEXT STEP, WHICH IS GOOD, CONSIDERING WE BOUGHT HIM FOR NOTHING BASICALLY VAUNTING CO-OWNER TOM HEDLEY