Geeyjayhaitch Breaks Run Of Outs
- Wednesday, 04 August 2010 07:15
Rejuvenated stayer Geejayhaitch has overcome potential career-ending, if not life-threatening, leg injuries to end a run of 16 outs with an easy win at Sandown on Wednesday.
The Matsqui seven-year-old, prepared at Broadmarsh in southern Tasmania by Walter McShane, broke both cannon bones after winning over 2400m at Sandown in July 2007.
Five screws were inserted in his pastern which saved him and he spent 14 months on the sidelines being nursed back to health and fitness by McShane.
The gelding came back and won successive races at Hobart and Devonport and was placed over 2500m at Flemington before again going amiss with a fractured pastern which put him out of racing for another 11 months.
"I bought him an above-ground water treadmill after his last accident and he spends every second day in that and I put it down to that that he's here today," McShane said.
"He trots up to 14 kilometres in it."
McShane, who stands the gelding's sire on his property, bred Geejayhaitch out of the Aliocha mare Aliocha Lady who won two races before being given to him.
He races Geejayhaitch with hotelier Geoffrey Joseph Hoare whose initials were used to name the horse.
Ridden by Glen Boss, Geejayhaitch ($2.50 fav) sat third behind tearaway leader Bratton ($21) in the Grey Boots Hcp (3100m).
Revelling in the heavy (10) going, he went on to score by four lengths from Bratton with Solar Reef ($10) a nose away third.
McShane, who has been training for 40 years, came to Melbourne in the 1970s with smart galloper Bastille Beggar.
"He was the first Tasmanian-trained horse to win a two-year-old race in Melbourne," McShane said.
"He won three or four races at Moonee Valley and 20 or 21 races overall."
"This (Geejayhaitch) is the best horse I've had since him."
Geejayhaitch has won six races and been placed nine times from 31 starts.
McShane, who has the gelding stabled with Colin and Cindy Alderson at Cranbourne, intends to bring him back to Sandown for the Merman Hcp (3100m) on August 25.
Pictures: Colin Bull
