News

Catch Twenty-Two For Gardner

13th Apr 2011

Racing And Sports - Tuesday, 12 April 2011

Canberra trainer Norm Gardner is caught between a rock and a hard place with emerging gelding and impressive last start winner Coliseo.

The four-year old son of Arena who was a $42,500 yearling purchase from the 2008 Inglis Sydney Classic Yearling Sale is owned by Hong Kong interests who will likely shift the horse across if the gelding continues his rise through the grades leaving Gardner in two minds.

“He's a really smart horse who I've got a lot of time for and ever since he was a two-year old I always thought he had the ability to be a city horse,” Gardner said.

“He had a bad problem with tying up when he was younger and that explained his first preparation which was terrible but at this stage we have that under control,”

“The worst part about the horse at the moment is if he happens to win a city classed race even midweek the owners will want him shipped straight over to Hong Kong and at this stage he looks a big chance of winning in town so it will be good for the horse but very disappointing if I lost him.”

Coliseo has had a relatively slow start to his racing career and after two starts as an early two-year old he spent close to 8 months off the racing scene before resuming at Goulburn when finishing third behind the promising Hood, before his next effort when rising in distance finishing an eye catching second behind another progressive type in Blurred Vision again at Goulburn.

With Gardner's confidence levels soaring, disaster struck as Coliseo damaged a suspensory ligament and was forced to spend over 12 months off the racing scene with his racing future in some serious doubt.

“It was really disappointing to see because his two runs back off a spell where super and as we have seen the two horses that won those races have really gone on with it since,” he said.

“He missed the kick at his second run back and then came the widest on the turn and to be only beaten a head was a super effort and proved he had a future,”

“I guess the only good thing to come out of the injury was the fact he is a big strong type and the time in the paddock was only going to help him grow and mature and since he has returned everything seems to be spot on.”

After several trials including a 900m victory on his home track, Coliseo resumed with a narrow win at Canberra when carrying top-weight over the 1300m with Matthew Cahill in the saddle.

“He was a bit slow to jump again but was able to weave through and really hit the line well, he's only going to improve on that effort and fingers crossed we can get some racing underneath him this time.”

Gardner had Coliseo nominated at Canberra on Friday but has elected against a start instead favouring going to Wagga on Sunday or Goulburn on Thursday.

“The race at Canberra was a Class 3 and if he happened to win that then he will be weighted out of a lot of races so the other two options looked better,” Gardner said.

“He isn't a very good traveler but he needs to start somewhere so the trip away could do him the world of good because if he lives up to the opinion I have of him then he will be making plenty of trips away from home".