ONE HAPPY STRAPPER

There was one particularly happy strapper at Eagle Farm on Saturday. Bill Gavin was beaming.

“I can’t believe it! My last runner as a trainer came back a winner and my first runner as a strapper has just won. It’s just so good to be here,” said Gavin leaning on the winners’ enclosure.

Gavin did not renew his trainers’ license at start of the new season, opting instead to go to work for Alan Jones, that most accomplished of trainers, on the Sunshine Coast.

Gavin sent out his last runner as a trainer on July 23, when La Marianne did him proud, sealing a special day by winning in front of co-owners Les and Noeline Lowrie who had made the trip from New Zealand to watch their horse in action.

Then Gavin’s unusual double arrived on Saturday in the form of the dashing grey, Grey Stream, who prevailed in a hard fought finish to see off the persistent challenge of Frosty.

Both Grey Stream (one wide) and Frosty (glued to the rail) tracked the pace-setting call To Order from the break and then pressed forward on either side of the frontrunner to join issue in a stride for stride battle over the last 250m.

For a brief moment it looked like Frosty had gained the initiative, but Jason Taylor and Grey Stream were having none of that and they repelled that challenge to score by a short-neck margin.

That result was little bit closer than the win of La Marianne, who won by a little over 0,30 lengths, and was every bit as exciting for Bill Gavin.

The smile was still on his face long after he had led Grey Stream away from the mounting yard, which only goes to show that ‘that winning feeling’ can be experienced from many different perspectives and is always a pleasurable experience.

This was Grey Stream’s third win in four starts since the mare was relocated from New South Wales.

Grey Stream, who is owned by Gerard and Jan Nolan of Rosari Stud, has been booked to be serviced by General Nediym this breeding season. Whether Grey Stream will have another run before that plan is put into effect has yet to be decided.