MOON Treasure created plenty of chat after winning the $6000 Nevertire Hotel/JR Crop Spraying Maiden Plate (1400m) at Warren on December 14.
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The six-year-old mare, trained by Graeme Brooker at Baradine, literally jumped into the winning column when she hurdled the finishing post line on her way to a three and a half length win.
She was having her 10th race start and had not finished in a place previous, earning just $425 in prizemoney.
Ian McNaught bought the daughter of Half Hennessy for just $500 before she was to be dogged.
His stepfather Graeme Brooker trains her from his Baradine stable, travelling in to nearby Coonabarabran to work her on fast mornings with a gallop at the Coonabarabran track, said Adele Brooker, wife of Graeme and mother of Ian.
“He bought her about 12 months ago,” Adele Brooker said this week.
“She was all skin and bones when we got her.”
Graeme Brooker has done well to build her back up and find the spark to ignite her racing career.
“She probably should have won at Gunnedah,” Adele said of her previous start at Warren when fifth to Equiano in a 1400m maiden.
“We’ll probably go back to Warren on the 30th now.”
Her son agreed.
“There’s a 1600m Class 2 at Warren on the 30th. Hopefully there won’t be any more jumping. I just think she was running on empty.”
They believe her jumping effort came about from some training methods Graeme Brooker has adopted in preparing her from his Baradine stable.
“He has been lunging her,” Adele said. “Jumping her over a blue barrel.”
For Graeme Brooker, who has just turned 60, training is in the family blood.
He’s from Hayfield in Victoria’s Gippsland region.
His grandfather, JC Brooker, was a prominent racehorse trainer in Victoria as well.
Graeme had plenty of winners in Victoria and hopes to train plenty more now he’s at Baradine.
Moon Treasure’s jumping effort at Warren added a unique racing signature to a maiden win.
Wonder if she will have any encores when she lines up for start number 11 and possible back-to-back wins.