He might only be a hobby owner-trainer, but when Tatura’s Neil Girvan gets one of his two horses to the track he is always looking to Run The Show.
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Although he almost didn’t — with Run The Show — his horse who had had six starts this preparation, Girvan said he had not really been looking for another start and tossed up whether he would go.But when he looked at the field, the distance and his horse’s improving good form, he decided to give him one last run before heading to the paddock.
And that’s exactly what he did on Friday at Swan Hill with his five-year-old Americain gelding Run The Show.In the $35,000 TAC Be Races Ready Maiden Plate over 2400 m; Run The Show, with star apprentice Madison Lloyd in the saddle, ran the odds-on favourite Silk Jacket off her feet to win by almost a length.Making it a fantastic result for Girvan, who also owns the horse. He only had one winner last season and with the new racing year only weeks old, he is off to a flyer.It also set up another good day for Lloyd, fresh from riding her first city winner last week, as she went on to land a double, winning the $35,000 Jarrod Arentz Electrical over 1600 m riding Okotoks for her master Nathan Hobson.“He’s been looking for that distance, and the way he ran on after crossing the line makes me think he could go further — he’s certainly bred for it (Americain won the 2010 Melbourne Cup),” Girvan said.“That was his seventh run for me as well as the three he did with Mark Kavanagh before I bought him.”The horse did nothing for the Kavanagh stable and after being spelled for a year, Girvan snapped him up — and he kept failing to deliver.But after three more misses Girvan persisted and since then the gelding has gone fourth, second, third — and now first.“He pulled up well after his sixth start for me, and his eating was fine, so in the end I decided to go around one more time,” Girvan said.When the field jumped, Lloyd tucked Run The Show (which started at 7/1 and paid $8.20) on the fence, just off the pace and with cover for the long haul around the Swan Hill track.As they swung around the bend for the last time Lloyd maintained her grip on the running rail, but when one of the leaders shifted slightly to open the merest hint of a gap, she steered Run The Show straight through it and then quickly threatened for the lead just as Silk Jacket started its run.Silk Jacket hit the front — briefly — before Run The Show showed genuine fight and slowly pulled away leaving most punters across the country shaking their heads as they tossed their betting tickets.“He’s a real tryer and it was a great ride by Madi, she’s going to be a very good jockey,” Girvan said.
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