Sprints on Art’s canvas

Gelding likely to run Lightning Handicap

THE 2020 Cleveland Bay Handicap is the dream for Townsville trainer Michael Geaney with last-start Cannon Park winner Bachelor’s Art.

But, in reality, the former Andrew Williamson-trained gelding is most likely to be steered towards becoming a major player in the 2020 Cairns Lightning Handicap come carnival time.

The lightly raced sevenyear-old put away a modest Open Handicap field on Saturday afternoon at Cannon Park, in what is likely to be a preview of where Bachelor’s Art is headed later in the year.

Bachelor’s Art, ridden by Wanderson D’Avila, really got into his work late on over 950m and hit the line hard for his first north Queensland victory.

The bay won four times from 15 starts in southeast Queensland and Geaney (left) was shocked the gelding was up for sale before he landed at his yard in Jensen.

“One of my owners rang me and mentioned that he had been offered the horse and wanted to know what I thought,” Geaney said.

“I said ‘let’s go’; we had one quick look at his form, and said ‘we need to get this’, we did not hesitate.

“We did not want to give them time to change their mind.

“When they told me how much they wanted for him, I said ‘has it still got four legs?’ – the horse had great form down south and we were very surprised he was up for sale.”

Bachelor’s Art has won up to 1100m and never raced over 1200m, making a tilt at the Cleveland Bay Handicap at Townsville unlikely. “He has never run the 1300m, we would monitor him as we go,” Geaney

said. “The Cleveland Bay would be a dream, but he would be aimed more to the Lightning and sprint races like that. We wanted to get him here today to get a look at the track prior to carnival.”

Geaney said he was “heartbroken” that stablemate to Bachelor’s Art and north Queensland Cups contender Hardern had recently passed away. Owned by Cairns’ Tom Hedley, the seven-year-old stayer had to be euthanised after an incident with a fence. Hardern was one horse to defeat northern crowns champion The Harrovian last year, doing so in the North Queensland Cup at Cluden Park in late June. Hardern also ran second in the Mackay Cup in July, beaten a nose.

Elsewhere, Tennessee Boy made it two from three to start his career in the opener at Townsville yesterday. Master trainer Roy Chillemi said blinkers played a key role in the gelding’s win, getting home ahead of Trevor Rowe’s Clever Hunter.