If, at first, you don’t succeed…

Young Charlton harness racing trainer Michael Gadsden admits he loves a project and a challenge – and he has been richly rewarded for his persistence on both fronts.

Gadsden picked up the second double of his career at Swan Hill (Aug 14), first scoring with veteran pacer Markleigh Caz (Art Major) who after 139 starts was having only her second start without hopples).  Then followed promising youngster Wichita Kansas (A Rocknroll Dance), a victory two years in the making.

Markleigh Caz had been all but retired after putting in a couple of “ordinary runs” at Mildura in February, and Gadsden believed it might be the end of the road for her.

“But in the paddock, she became mates with another one of ours, The Interceptor, who is pretty highly strung. We found with Caz around he was a lot more relaxed, so when he was going back into work, we thought we would bring Caz along as well, just for the time,” Gadsden said.

“So, she got a bit of a reprieve as a ‘life coach’! But when she was working alright, we decided to give her another go, probably really still as a companion for The Interceptor.”

Gadsden said he and partner Denbeigh Wade had always been aware of the ability of Markleigh Caz to pace without hopples.

“When we first got her a few years ago we were working mainly trotters and we only owned two sets of hopples!  It was just easier to work her free-legged and she always worked terrific,” he said.

“The funny thing is she has always raced in a very small (55 inch) hopple.  She worked so well without them that a couple of times, we thought we would sneak the hopples out a few holes.  But as soon as we would put them out, she would always seem to be feeling for them, so for that reason we’d never been game to try her at the races without them.

“She would just work so strong at home that we’d almost reached the point of trying it about 12 months ago but right at that time she put in a couple of roughies in a race at Echuca, so we gave up the idea. This time in, though, we thought there’s nothing to lose!”

Markleigh Caz didn’t disappoint.  At her first start minus hopples, she ran fourth, with driver Jason Lee believing she could have won with a clear run. At her second start at Swan Hill, Markleigh Caz powered home for Wade along the spacious straight to score by seven metres.

To watch the race replay, click here.

“She’s always been one of those horses who, when she does win, gets there by a neck and makes it look hard work – Swan Hill was the best I have ever seen her attack the line,” Gadsden said.

He said the couple’s second win on the night was equally satisfying, but for different reasons.

“Wichita Kansas is owned by Fred Crews, and he was one of the first horses sent to us when we took the big step to move to Charlton and go out on our own,” he said.

“He was broken in by Joey Thompson down here, but he has been a long project – two years of hard work!” Gadsden said.

“The dam (Golden Flyin) has left a couple of $100k winners in Badewitz (Bettors Delight) and Keep on Rocking (Rocknroll Hanover) but he really couldn’t pace a yard at first,” Gadsden said.

“Fred was very patient because the horse showed enough to keep teasing us.  He’d always seemed strong enough, but we couldn’t get the speed from him.  We’d tried everything, including trying to trot him!”

Gadsden said Wichita Kansas had always been inclined to roll a fetlock and hit his knee.

“But the turning point was when they put in the straight track here (at Charlton Training Centre). It’s turned him into a completely different horse.  We’ve been able to take the headcheck off and get him back to a one-legged spreader and his boots are coming back clean,” he said.

Once getting to the track, Wichita Kansas scored his first win with Wade in the sulky at his seventh outing, after finishing runner up at three of his previous four starts.

“He’d obviously never had the confidence to let down properly, but he went a 56 second half when he won the other night, and you couldn’t fault him,” Gadsden said.

To watch the race replay, click here.

“It was a really satisfying night.  I love the challenging ones, the project horses, and the trotters because I enjoy working through the problems and trying things so they can do their best,” he said.

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink