Before New Year’s Day, Kyneton owner-trainer Glen Gascoyne had only ever taken two horses to race at Hanging Rock.
On both occasions he went home disappointed. Kangaroos on the track led to one meeting being called off, and an undetected hole in the home straight caused that meeting to be abandoned.
Gascoyne’s luck changed last Thursday, as his long shot Mahogwise Honour came from well back in the field to cause an upset in the Midland Express Maiden Plate.
It was the four-year-old gelding’s third run this preparation. He had been unplaced at 100-1 over 1450m at Tatura on December 14.
Stepping up to 1800m so quickly was something of an experiment, and Mahogwise Honour ran on strongly for jockey Chelsea Taylor to beat Dali’s Picasso by a length, with leader and odds-on favourite Phantom’s Choice weakening into third place.
Gaycoyne, a talented lawn bowler for Kyneton, has dabbled with both trotters and gallopers over the years, and would love to breed a really good galloper at some stage.
He only has two in work at present and hopes Mahogwise Honour can reproduce his form at his next outing.
Gascoyne was the only district trainer to land a winner at ‘The Rock’.
