Talented Tasmanian mare Geegees Mistruth will join Mark Walker’s trans-Tasman Te Akau Racing stable at Cranbourne for her Victorian spring campaign.
“We want to ensure that when we take on some of the best horses in the country, we are not tackling Bass Strait every time,” Ben Geard, representing the Geard family, told Tasracing. “Unfortunately, that’s one of the disadvantages of living in our island state.”
Trained by Stuart Gandy last spring, Geegees Mistruth made her mark on the mainland with two Group 3 placings before finishing runner-up in the Group 2 Thousand Guineas Prelude. She later returned home to Tasmania and went unbeaten in two starts during the summer carnival.
“We look forward to seeing what the next few months bring, but either way, we are proud of what the horses have achieved to date, both in Tasmania and interstate,” Geard said. “We acknowledge the tireless effort put in by Stuart, Ruth (Gandy) and the entire team at SGR, and we are very thankful for that.”
Winner of six races from 11 starts, Geegees Mistruth will resume in the Group 3 Cockram Stakes at Caulfield on August 30. She will be accompanied to Victoria by Listed winner Geegees Gemstone.
Meanwhile, the Gold Coast Turf Club is keeping its course proper under wraps ahead of a September metropolitan fixture. A meeting scheduled for September 13 has been moved to the polytrack, ensuring the track has the standard week’s rest before the $105,000 Pink Ribbon Cup meeting on September 20. The new surface has had its share of issues but continues to host racing, most recently on August 2.
In international racing news, proxy betting has been outlawed in New Jersey after Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation banning the practice, alongside new laws targeting online sweepstakes casinos and event manipulation. Known as “bowling” in Australia, both parties involved in proxy betting now face charges as disorderly persons under the new law.
Across the Tasman, Awapuni’s grass track remains unfit for racing following a fresh inspection. Despite trials showing improvement, experts, including Flemington’s track manager Liam O’Keefe, agreed more time was needed. The two meetings scheduled for September will be transferred, with another inspection to decide when the track is ready to return.
