June 2007 - Two tough gallopers to head the weights in Murwillumbah features (Racenet)

The weight have been released for Sunday's Casella Wines Murwillumbah Cup meeting and the two likely topweights in the two feature races are horses that have overcome serious injuries.

In the $20,000 Casella Wines Murwillumbah Cup (2000m) the top weight with 58kg is the Kelly Schweida-trained Finder Page that will be ridden by leading Queensland hoop Glenn Colless.

"He really runs for Glenn but then again what horse doesn't," Schweida said.

"The horse has won four races for him and we're very happy to have him aboard."

Finder Page is a story of remarkable courage.

The horse's career looked all but over when he broke a leg in May 2005, but after successful surgery and plenty of tender loving care he has made it back to the track and registered another five wins including his last start victory in the Beaudesert Cup over 1400m.

"He cracked the cannon bone and it went right down through his fetlock in his off front," said Schweida.

"They put three or four screws in the leg which are still in there so he's done a good job."

Despite the rise from 1400m to 2000m, Schweida is confident he is travelling down the princes Highway with a horse capable of winning the cup declaring he is a horse "for all occassions".

"He handles it wet or dry and the trip wont be a problem," he said.

"He's won over 2200m and he's done plenty of work.

"The start prior to his last one was over the mile so Im confident he's ready."

In the $18,000 Norco - Sky Channel Gold Newmarket Handicap (1200m), the topweight is the consistent Sircolo with 61.5kg but his trainer John Shelton indicated he was "unlikely to run" with the weight.

"I'll be talking to the owners tonight and we'll make a decision tomorrow," Shelton said.

"I'd like to run him in the Ramornie so the 61.5kg has make me baulk at this race."

The 2005 winner Umatrick resumes for a spell for Grafton trainer Felicity Firth and has been allocated 59kg.

Umatrick, like Finder Page is lucky to be back at the races after injury almost ended his career in July last year.

"He fractured the radius bone which is the main bone above his knee in the Ramornie," Firth said.

"About 100m out he dipped when he just got to the front and he was only beaten less than a length and Bruce Compton to this day is adamant it cost him the race.

"Nothing showed up after the race and he was working ok so we took him to Coffs.

"He went terrible and we thought he'd jarred up but subsequent x-rays revealed what he'd done."

After being boxed for four months Umatrick made a comeback in January and after a fair campaign by his standards was put away again in April.

"He's only just come right since the injury and his work leading into this is that of the Umatrick of old," she said.

"He has a great fresh record and Ben Looker is going to ride him so he'll only carry 56kg.

"I'm confident he can get back to his best this preparation and if he's near his top on Sunday he'll be very hard to beat."

April 2007 - Top Marc The Gallant Grey

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April 2007 - Top Marcs To Racetree (Thoroughbred Express)

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March 2007 - Top Marc Stallion 2007

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November 2006 - Courageous Page finds his best form (Courier Mail)

GREAT comeback... Finder Page (Glen Colless) wins Saturday's Rosemount Estate Handicap (1815m) at Eagle Farm.

FINDER Page is not the best racehorse in Queensland but he might be the most courageous. The six-year-old won his eighth race from 31 starts when he scored at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Finder Page's form this campaign has been consistently good. He has won four of his seven starts and has lost his rider at the jump in another. Yet in May last year there was every chance Finder Page would have to be put down after a serious leg fracture.

"I was getting him ready for the Ipswich Cup, which I really thought he could win." trainer Kelly Schweida said. "The bone fracture in his off front went down his cannon bone and deep into his fetlock.

"My vet Phil Burguez thought he could save the horse and maybe even get him back racing if we operated and inserted screws.

"He had several weeks in the clinic and then another eight months in the paddock at Racetree Farm but he has come back amazingly well. I was a bit worried how he might put in when the pressure came on under race conditions but he came to win first up after 16 months off."

Schweida has done a remarkable job to manage Finder Page back to career-best form and rider Glen Colless has played a significant role as well with a perfect record from four rides on the stallion.

It never ceases to amaze me how one race win can open up an interesting story.

Miss Watagan won on debut at Eagle Farm on Saturday. And most impressing too. Miss Watagan is from the first crop of Moon Rocket, a Zabeel horse which raced in Japan and highlighted by colleague Peter Howard in a couple of bloodstock columns.

Turns out Kenji Yoshida, the Japanese breeder and owner of Melbourne Cup winner Delta Blues, owned the Danehill mare Sky Rocket and took her to his Northern Farm in Hokkaido in foal to Zabeel.

The Zabeel foal from Sky Rocket, which won the Listed Let's Elope Stakes when trained by Lee Freedman, was Moon Rocket. Unfortunately, Moon Rocket broke down after just three starts which included a win at two.

Yoshida sold him to Michael Tabart, an Australian businessman living in Japan. Moon Rocket stood for only three seasons in Queensland, including the 2005 spring at Craiglea Stud on the Sunshine Coast, before he was injured while being exercised for a promotional video. "He slipped and broke his shoulder and we couldn't save him." Craiglea boss Stan Johnston said.

July 2005 - Top Marc gets his big race win!

A stallion that beat dual Group 1 winner Clangalang at Eagle Farm as a two-year-old notched up his first Black-Type win in the Listed Reed Property Group Glasshouse Handicap at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday.

Ridden by Brad Stewart, Top Marc (H5 Canadian Silver-Prime Page) proved too strong for his rivals on the Heavy track, winning by a long neck from Melbourne gelding Wildly (Michael Cahill), with one length back to Little Punc (Ben Hull) in third, which just got the better of topweight Consular, which had run a gallant race under the conditions with his big weight.

Top Marc had beaten the subsequent AJC Derby and Epsom Handicap winner Clangalang, in his second race win at the end of his two-year-old season, around three years ago.

Even though the Glasshouse Handicap was the stallion's first Black-Type victory, it was actually his 12th race win and he had run second to Proudly Agro in the Listed Doomben Stakes last December, as well as a good last start fourth to Nessuno in the Listed Eye Liner Stakes at Ipswich.

"I was worried about the one alley and a bit concerned when he got back a bit further than I wanted him to, but Brad said that he wasn't really comfortable with a horse racing on his outside, being a stallion," trainer Kelly Schweida said.

"Brad said that he never really galloped until he got into the clear"

"He had a terrific chance when the rain came, for whatever reason he really likes the wet and he showed it again today," Stewart said.

"It was a good run on top of the ground for fourth in the Eye Liner last start, which really topped him off well for this."

Top Marc was bred and initially raced by Ross MacLean who died in February this year, so the stallion's victory was an emotional one for his family.

"Mum was watching the race on Sky Channel in Brisbane. I know it will be quite emotional for her and the entire family," Ross Maclean junior said.

The Glasshouse win took Top Marc's earnings up to $391,250, from his 12 wins and six placings in 38 starts.

Schweida is now hopeful that Top Marc can continue his good form in the Listed Qantaslink Ramornie Handicap to be run at Grafton on July 13.

"A trip to Melbourne is under consideration but we'll get past the Ramornie first," Schweida said.

"If we get a wet spring, then some of the Melbourne races will suit him."

The Glasshouse was Top Marc's fifth run on a Heavy track for as many wins in the conditions.



Courtesy of Qld Racing
Brad McLennan
Hands and Heels Thoroughbreds
Phone: (07) 54 667 124