Former Kiwi galloper Nikau Spur continues to provide Toowoomba trainers Corey and Kylie Geran with huge thrills and the momentum continued when scoring a last-stride victory in the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Beauford (2300m) at Newcastle on Saturday.
The eight-year-old son of Proisir was the winner of the Listed Queensland Cup (2400m) two starts back and relished the solid tempo on Saturday as he landed the thick end of the A$300,000 purse.
Ridden by Tim Clark, Nikau Spur narrowly got the better of Herman Hesse, with Naval College a luckless third.
Corey Geran, who prepares the third-hand galloper with his mother Kylie at Toowoomba, was on hand to savour the victory.
“I love this horse. He is nothing short of a superstar. We travelled to Coffs Harbour on Thursday night, we worked him around Coffs Harbour track Friday morning and came down here this morning, and he can do that. He is just incredible,” Geran said.
“He won the Queensland Cup over 2400m and there is a lack of staying races in Queensland, particularly genuinely-run staying races in Queensland. You come to these places and you get that genuine pace on.
“This horse should have won last start but there was just not much pace in the race and it got him beat but he ran his last furlong in 11 seconds. I said to Tim Clark today that if he does that I genuinely think he can win.”
Stayers trained out of Queensland have now hit the headlines over the past couple of weeks, with Knight’s Choice surprise Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) win coming for John Symons and Sheila Laxon, the training partnership Geran previously worked for for five years.
“I think if you go back and look at the form from the mile race at Doomben in Winter this year, Gringotts was the winner, Knight’s Choice ran second and he ran third,” Geran said.
Nikau Spur was initially trained in New Zealand by Rosie Buchanan for whom he placed in his only raceday start at Awapuni before he caught the eye of Ciaron Maher’s bloodstock manager Will Bourne, and a deal was negotiated to secure the talented galloper.
The winner of three races for Maher, Nikau Spur has won a further six races for the Gerans and has now amassed A$ $686,932 in career earnings.
By Proisir out of the stakes winning Ustinov mare Sarsarun, Nikau Spur was bred by Hallmark Stud and the Springvale Family Trust.