ROSEHILL Gardens record-breaker Our Kobison might be a Provincial-Midway Championships absentee, but that won’t stop his Gosford trainer Angela Davies having another serious crack at this year’s series.
Davies, who won the 2020 Final with the now retired Through The Cracks, says the promising Our Kobison “probably will be in the paddock” by the time the 2024 series begins at the end of this month.
“I’m thinking we might give him one more run in town and then a good break, and have him up and going again early in the new season,” she said today of the talented four-year-old, who took his blossoming record to five wins from eight starts in breaking a 27-year Rosehill 1200m record in the Benchmark 88 Handicap.
“But we’ve got Karedada getting ready for the Provincial-Midway Championships.”
Not before an unexpected setback though with another promising four-year-old member of her stable, who won his fourth race from six starts on resumption at the Canterbury night meeting on December 8.
“Karedada was sick the morning after the Canterbury race, and had a temperature of 39 degrees,” Davies explained.
“He had to be treated and needed three to four weeks off to fully recover. We were going to ease up on him anyway with the Championships in mind.
“Karedada is fine now and back in the stables, and I’m looking to run him at our home heat on March 16.”
The $150,000 Gosford heat is for both eligible provincial and Midway horses, and the first two placegetters automatically qualify for the 1400m Final, worth $1m for the first time and to be run at Royal Randwick on April 13 on Day 2 of The Championships.
Whilst Karedada is yet to be tried at 1400m – three of the Wandjina gelding’s wins have been at 1200m and the other at Canterbury over 1250m – Davies has no concerns about him stretching out to that distance.
Meanwhile, whilst still in awe of Our Kobison’s sizzling Rosehill victory yesterday (he has now earned nearly $270,000), Davies related the story of how the gelding came to her stable.
“I had a phone call from Jodie Fessopoulos in Sydney asking if I could help sell the horse,” she said.
“Jodie said they had bred Our Kobison (by Kobayashi) and had sold about 60 per cent of him.
“She is a smart woman and her son Liam Riordan is a jockey in Melbourne.
“As I didn’t have many horses in work at the time, I was happy to help out by advertising him on my website.
“Some of my long-standing owners noticed the ad and asked me about Our Kobison, and I told them he was a nice type.
“Thankfully, they came on board and everyone is having a wonderful ride with the horse.”
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HOOFNOTE: Sometimes it’s the luck of the draw!
Our Kobison’s dam, the Fastnet Rock mare Orne River, began her career in South Australia where she was placed twice from three starts. Her sole win from six starts was in a Lismore Maiden (1300m) in December, 2015.
Our Kobison’s older half-brother Keep No Secrets (by Spill The Beans) was the mare’s first foal and began his career in Victoria, but was moved on after finishing last of nine runners in a 3YO Maiden Plate (1100m) at Traralgon in October, 2020.
He had three separate trainers in country NSW and took 18 starts before breaking through against four rivals at the Tomingley picnics in April, 2022.
Keep No Secrets had five more starts in the bush for two placings before being retired.
Our Kobison was Orne River’s second foal, and his full brother I Am Sugoi, her third foal, has raced three times for two wins in country Victoria last year.
. Kembla Grange trainers again were to the fore at today’s second today of the annual Sapphire Coast carnival.
Paul Murray landed the $80,000 Big Dance Eligibility Bega Showcase Cup (1600m) with Winning Point ($17), who in an all-Kembla finish, beat Mitch Beer’s $4.20 favorite Cream Rises and Tyrone Coyle’s front-runner Prince Aurelius ($9).
Beer missed out on the main race, but was successful in the Sapphire Coast Cup (2200m) with Old Gregg ($4.60), who trounced his opposition. Rob and Luke Prince sprang an upset with $61 bolter Halkis in the Super Maiden Plate (1400m).
Story John Curtis, February 4, 2024 - Pics Bradley Photos
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