Racing: Unwanted Geetee I on the verge of a breakthrough

TE AROHA - Graeme Nicholson lay in bed last night praying he would not be woken by the sound of rain on the roof.

The Te Aroha trainer believes an overnight downpour is all that stands in the way of a memorable home-course win with Geetee I, a gelding he salvaged from farm-hack obscurity.

"If it's not worse than 3.5 he'll win - he's not far behind Sir Slick as far as trackwork goes," said Nicholson.

"But he doesn't like heavy tracks so if we get the rain we're supposed to be having I'll have to pull him out."

The racing industry web site www.nzracing.co.nz listed the track as having a 5.0 penetrometer reading when the fields first came out at the weekend.

But Nicholson walked the course proper on Monday and swears it was no worse than 3.2.

"It was a good track and would still handle a little bit of rain without cutting out too bad. I just don't want the 100mm they are forecasting tonight," he said yesterday.

Nicholson said the in-form 4-year-old's last trainer, Martin Cleland, washed his hands of the horse at the end of his last campaign after he failed to break a sweat in six starts.

Geetee I's owner, Nicholson's son Kelvin, then decided to give his dad the final try.

"When I first saw the horse I thought, 'Holy hell, he's as fat as a bull,'" laughed Nicholson.

"I worked the hell out of him, but he still ran his first race for me like a cut cat - he ran 800m then stopped.

"But as soon as I put a different bridle on him he was a different horse and just got beaten."

Two starts later Geetee I cracked 1m 23s in quitting maidens at Te Aroha and Nicholson is adamant he should have won again last time out when a narrow second at Ellerslie over 1600m on April 15.

"He lost a shoe 150m from the post and that cost him the race," said Nicholson.

"Jamie Baillie said he ducked and dived when it was coming off and lost a couple of lengths."

Baillie, Nicholson's senior apprentice, is gutted he doesn't get a shot at making amends today in the R76 1600m.

The race doubles as the NZ Apprentice Jockeys' Championship.

But while disappointed for Baillie, Nicholson has found himself a worthy replacement - winning in-form central districts visitor Matthew Cameron - in the draw for riders.

With conditions to suit, Nicholson also rates stablemate Angel's Honour a winning chance in the R76 2100m.

She takes a massive dip in class but Nicholson warns she will need a track no worse than 3.6 to capitalise.