CANBERRA trainer Gary Kirkup’s rocky road since a serious car accident near Gundagai late last year left him seriously injured and his partner dead was momentarily put to one side on Friday when stable veteran Highly Geared took out the $50,000 Flat Knacker (900m).
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Johnson, 25, was killed instantly and Kirkup was airlifted to hospital with severe abdominal injuries.
He is still carrying the effects of the crash with his left foot in a moon boot.
“It’s been a tough run alright,” Kirkup said.
“I didn’t realise how weak you can get.
“I used to ride up to 10 horses a day.
“It’s been two months practically doing nothing and it's just hard work.”
Highly Geared, who was backing up from a third placing in the Camarena on Canberra Cup day, was Kirkup’s second winner since the accident.
Winning jockey Matthew Cahill also paid tribute to the trainer’s resilience.
“Everyone knows Garry has had a bad trot,” he said.
“I was really keen to win the race for him.
“She is a wonderful little mare and is as tough as they come.
“She had 61 on her back today, but tries her heart out.”
Kirkup is hoping Highly Geared can progress to the Wellington Town Plate with her winning time of 51.86 seconds about a second a slower than the race record set by Fantene in the first staging of the race in 2010.
The eight-year-old mare’s 1.3 length win from Fox Tales and early pacesetter Airino ended a recent domination of the race by former Albury trainer Brett Cavanough.
Cavanough had won the previous five editions of the race with one of those winners, Bossdon City, being ridden by Cahill.
Last year’s winner Just A Bullet wasn’t a factor in the race with stewards confirming the seven-year-old was lame post-race.
Cavanough made amends in the next race, the Class Three (1500m), with Infomertial, who was ridden by stable favourite Richard Bensley.
“He got a soft run and has a good turn of foot,” Cavanough said.
“He is an honest horse, seven-year-old and hasn’t done a lot wrong with R. Bensley to the fore.”
Infometial grabbed runner-up Lucky Fish on the line and stablemate Another Sin also scored by less than a length to complete a winning double for the stable and Bensley in the Class Two (1000m).
Another Sin won two starts ago at Tamworth before finishing unplaced at Cavanough’s new base, Scone.
The gelding also finished second at Rosehill this preparation.
