Corowa trainer Geoff Duryea has been dreaming of getting Front Page to Randwick for a year. When he finally did, he proved himself the best country sprinter in NSW leading all the way to win the Koscuiszko on Saturday.
Front Page, which won the Wagga Town Plate this year, missed the Country Championship Final and Kosciuszko in the past 12 months, but this time was perfect.
Tyler Schiller celebrates his win on Front Page on Saturday.Credit:Getty
“We’re always going to get here eventually, but you start to wonder if was going to happen,” Duryea said. “He is just a good horse and we just need to get him here to show it.
“It’s third-time lucky. The first time was just a freak accident, the second time there was nothing we could do about it.
“But he’s done the right thing this time, I’ve a had perfect preparation. He’s had two barrier trials at Wangaratta. He’s won them both and I couldn’t ask for anymore.”
Duryea prefers home surroundings to the big city and when it came to engaging a jockey he opted for Wagga Wagga’s Tyler Schiller, who celebrated his 24th birthday with his biggest success and a ride to match the preparation.
“We bushies stick together,” Duryea said. “When we got him ready for the Wagga Town Plate, I had a couple of blokes stuffing me around, so I rang his manager because he knows the Wagga track better than anyone.
“They were good jockeys and came back to me and I said ‘too late’.
“It was the same with this ride, I don’t know why they didn’t want to commit to him, but Tyler was keen and it’s good to have him part of it.”
Schiller went in confident in his horse and found himself in the front, a place he never wanted to be, and did his best to rate Front Page to the turn.
“I didn’t want to be there [in front] and at the top of straight I was really worried,” Schiller said. “I just waited to get up the rise and nothing had come to me and then I let him go.
“He is just a super horse and in the end the best horse in the race won the race.”
Front Page was never really challenged and had three-quarters of a length to spare on favourite Far Too Easy. The unlucky Fender was another 1¼ lengths back in third.
“He tried his heart out and the winner was just too good on the day,” Far Too Easy’s trainer David McColm said. “You can’t take anything away from him, but my fella really tried and went down fighting.”
Fender’s chances went at barrier rise when jockey Sam Clipperton was lucky to stay on him, which saw him further back in the field than expected.
Scone trainer Brett Cavanough admitted he had no luck in the Kosciuszko after nominal favourite It’s Me was scratched because of injury on Friday and then Fender flew home for third.
“It’s been that sort of week,” Cavanough said. “Just as they were about to open the gate someone said no, no, no and four jockeys looked around and the gates opened.
“My bloke said he was lucky to stay on. He did a good job to do so and the horse has gone super.”
