A Queensland horse masseuse is behind the stunning rise of a once lame four-year-old which is now chasing Albury’s $150,000 SDRA Country Championships Qualifier on Sunday.
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Albury trainer Graham Hulm says he was at a loss to treat Supply Money.
“We didn’t think at that stage there was much (talent) there, but she had a little injury and we took her to three different vets and couldn’t find anything,” he said.
“She was limping in her hind leg and we went to this masseuse who just saw me walking down the laneway to get treated and this bloke said, ‘you’ve got some trouble with the front of your horse Graham’.
“I said, ‘no, no, it’s the back, she can’t use her back leg’, and he said, ‘no, it’s the front leg’.
“He said we’ll improve her three lengths and added she’s a tough little horse.
“I sort of didn’t agree with anything he was saying.. and thought, ‘what’s your bloody go’, but he did a little bit of work on her, and I thought this will cost a fortune, but it cost very little.
“He said give her two or three months off, just keep walking her and we did, and put her in the first race at Gundagai and she drew the outside, 15 up there, and ran a super second, which shocked everybody.”
I sort of didn’t agree with anything he was saying ... and thought, ‘what’s your bloody go’, but he did a little bit of work on her, and I thought this will cost a fortune.
- Graham Hulm
The horse backed it up with an unlucky fifth at Wodonga, and again drew the outside barrier at Wangaratta.
“Oh God, it was pathetic, anyway she got up and won, she came out wide and hit the front and just kept going,” Hulm said.
“So we put her in at Corowa’s mile, barrier 15, won again.”
Supply Money hasn’t raced since snaring a second over 1400 metres at Wagga in mid-January, and will tackle the same distance at Albury’s Championships debut.
“She’s a bit out-classed, she’s only a Class 2 horse, it’s a Class 5 race,” Hulm said.
“I don’t like jumping classes, but it’s such a good race, you’ve got to go in and give them a chance.”
Supply Money has had two wins and five placings from her eight starts, and boasts just over $28,000 in prizemoney.
Dave Heywood’s Man Of Peace has won almost three times as much, while Corowa trainer Geoff Duryea’s Challenge Accepted has racked up almost $71,000.
“Challenge Accepted, that was the one that I reckon was in,” Hulm said.
“But now with those other two (Man Of Peace and Levee Bank) coming in, they’re a bit of class above us.”
Man Of Peace and Levee Bank were reinstated by Racing NSW.
The Country Championships have eight qualifying races scheduled through the state.
The top two from those races will contest the $400,000 Country Championship Final at Randwick on April 1.
