IT'S TORBRECK'S NANANGO CUP!

By Graham Potter | Saturday, August 5, 2023

The chestnut gelding Torbreck gave Kobie O’Brien’s KO Racing a winning start to the new racing season when he saluted in the Nanango Cup Open Handicap over 1600m on August 5.

The now six-year-old son of Sebring had won four of his fourteen starts since relocating the Corey and Kylie Geran stable (from the training partnership of Ben and JD Haye) prior to lining up for the Nanango Cup … and, in two of his last five starts coming into this assignment he was deemed by the stable to be good enough to be given his chance in town.

While he did not place in either of those outings at Eagle Farm, he also did not finish that far back so, given the overall respectability of his form-line it arguably would be fair to say he was over the odds when he jumped at a starting price of $12.

Not that that bothered the KO Racing’s connection in the least, and the fact that the bookmakers had got it wrong only added to the pleasure of the large group of owners whose celebration has become one of the trademark features of KO Racing.

Torbreck was brave because this was no ‘gimme.’

The Corey and Kylie Geran trained runner was already putting in the hard yards mid-race where jockey Nathan Fazackerley pushed Torbreck into the lead and he still did not have a moment’s rest in the sweep to the home turn with a wall of horses trying to chase him down.

The best of those were wider on the turn though as Torbreck railed beautifully on straightening to steal a two-length advantage as he continued to power towards the finish.

That surge left Torbreck with only two runners to worry about over the last 200m.

When the second favourite Cosmic Gossip ($3) cried enough, the race was down to two and, although the third favourite Vivenzo ($3.25) did cut back the gap over the concluding stages, Torbreck was always doing enough to ensure victory which, in the end, came by a 0.30 length margin.

The $2.80 race favourite Mill Rossa finished fourth, soundly beaten by 4.80 lengths.
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The Corey and Kylie Geran training partnership sent three runners into action on August 5 … at three different venues … and while Torbreck was getting the chocolates in the Nanango Cup, Our Magnus and Epicurious were also paying their way with creditable third placings in their respective assignments … Our Magnus finishing third behind the highly-rated Zarastro in a BM72 Handicap over 1200m at Eagle farm and Epicurious keeping the home fires burning when claiming third spot at Toowoomba in a BM62 Handicap over 1300m.

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