Sheargold Hits Purple Patch Form

Jockey Scott Sheargold relished an opportunity to ride for the city’s leading stable with a gun ride to win on smart mare Miss Tambo at Cluden Park last Tuesday.

Sheargold and Miss Tambo burst through a narrow gap in the closing stages to win the GP One Consulting C3 Plate (1000m) for premier trainer Georgie Holt.

The win was Sheargold’s second for the Holt stable in the space of three days after scoring on Dance For Me Randy at the TAB Meeting in Innisfail on Sunday.

Sheargold, who won the 2021 Townsville Cup on Fortification, is hoping more opportunities will come his way.

“She had the form to win that sort of race just as long as we were close enough on the turn and she definitely was,” 37 year-old Sheargold said. 

“I had to wait a fairly long time to find the run but when I did she’s big and strong enough to bullock her way through and won pretty well in the end.

“She should easily be able to step up to TAB level and over a bit further too.

“I’ve been riding a bit of work for the Holts and they try to help me out where they can. 

“It’s nice to ride for the premier stable.

“I’ve been getting some nicer rides, that helps, and keep turning up every day and things happen.

“The past few weeks things have been going well but again better horses to ride makes it a bit easier.

“I’ve really felt for a while that I’ve been riding good but just haven’t had the stock to win the races.

“I just keep turning up that’s all you can do.”

Miss Tambo was also a welcome winner for her Townsville owner-breeder Dalyn Tamblyn who transferred the mare to the Holt stable after she lost form in Brisbane.

She is by Smart Missile out of Lightfeet Lady who won 11 races for Tamblyn who enjoyed great success with Tambo’s Mate, winner of the Listed Keith Noud Stakes and Tattersall’s Recognition Stakes in Brisbane.

Meanwhile, trainer Michael Geaney’s decision to play the waiting game with five-year-old From This Moment paid off with a gutsy first-up win in the Brilliant Group BM58 Hcp (1200m).

Geaney said spelling the mare after a slight tendon injury earlier this year instead of pressing on to the winter carnival was proving the right move.

“I’ve always had an opinion of her from the time we had a big win when she won her first race at Cluden at 40-1,” Geaney said.

“She’s always been the sort of mare that would take a while to come into her own and I think we’ll see the best of her this year.

“After she won here in April over a mile she developed a pinhole injury in her offside front tendon.

“The vet said it wasn’t serious and we could be able to push on but instead of keeping her going for the carnival we decided to spell her.

“I think it was a good move. She’s come back in really good order, trialled well before today and we were fairly confident she could win.

“The next race for her is over 1400m on November 17. There’ll be a lot of improvement to come out of today.”

From This Moment is by Impending out of the Hard Spun mare Frim And Frome and Tuesday’s win was her fifth from 23 starts.