AN emotional Nathan Hobson fought to maintain his composure when mobbed by family, friends and happy punters after winning his first $150,000 Pooles Golden Topaz at the weekend’s Swan Hill Cup carnival.
When Nyah West apprentice jockey Madison Lloyd slapped Yulong Storm’s neck with delight – her megawatt smile lighting up the track as she hit the line – people were running from everywhere to grab a piece of Hobson.
Hobson declared before the carnival he would be having a quiet weekend with not as many runners as usual because it was getting too hard to qualify country horses against the big stables now turning up for the three days of racing.
Just 12 months ago the popular Swan Hill trainer had all but written off his seven-year-old gelding, but the Topaz’s $82,000 winner’s purse took Yulong Storm’s career earnings to almost $350,000.
The normally taciturn Hobson’s emotions were on show as he fought to keep control in post-race interviews.
“It means a lot,” he said. “Twelve months ago we thought this horse was finished, but to the owner’s credit and perseverance we had to find what was wrong with him, and thanks to a lot of people along the way we did.
“It’s just an unbelievable feeling, especially with Madison riding. She started with me (as an apprentice) and to come home and win a feature race, well, it means a hell of a lot.
“We found out what was wrong, we gave him the spell and the care he needed and now Yulong is back bigger and better than ever.”
Then Hobson stopped talking to crush Lloyd in a bear hug and, with tears starting to take over, planted a congratulatory kiss on her cheek.
Lloyd made it back-to-back local wins, having taken out the previous race on Spanish Snitzel for another Swan Hill trainer, Con Kelly – her first Swan Hill Cup carnival winner.
Now she has one of the glamour races of the country calendar in her resume.
“This is very, very special,” she said.
“This horse is also very special to me as he was my first winner at Flemington.
“And now to top it off for Nathan, because the Topaz is one of those races I have always dreamt of winning – and now I’ve done it for my old boss.
“I honestly can’t believe it. I can’t thank Nathan and all the connections enough.”
Her comments earned a massive cheer from the crowd gathered at the mounting yard to share in the post-race celebrations.
Then laughing, she admitted Yulong Storm could “honestly be a bit of a bullfrog” and far from easy to ride.
“But when he races he generally goes back and switches off a bit too much, but the last two times I have ridden him he has jumped straight on to the bridle and you’ve just got to keep him as comfortable as you can because you know you have got a lot of horse underneath you.”
The Topaz made it three wins on the first day of the carnival for Swan Hill trainers, Heath Chalmers setting the pace winning the first race with Runpukya.
