3 minute read
$15,000 gelding gives family a shot at The Showdown riches
The Showdown, Saturday's feature event the Owners and Breeders Raceday at Caulfield, is not a race Steven Marsden and his family have had circled on the calendar for a long time.
Not because they didn't dream of the winning the $1 million event with bargain buy Linkvue, they just didn't expect the Toby Lake-trained gelding to be ready for it.
But that all changed in the lead-up to the VOBIS Gold Rush at Bendigo on April 13.
"We were thinking (this campaign) he was going to have a trial or two and go back out to grow, because he's got a bit of upside with his growing, but Toby said, 'you've got to run this horse at Bendigo'," Marsden said.
"He'd had a couple of soft trials, which was always the plan, but then he said, 'you better go to the races, because he's just going so well'."
Linkvue justified Lake's call with a second placing in the $250,000 Gold Rush, beaten only by one-time Blue Diamond favourite Bold Bastille.
It has Marsden, his brother Alan and father Lyle wondering what they might be able to achieve with the son of Overshare who was bought for just $15,000 out of the Showcase Session at last year's Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.
Steven and Alan teamed up two years ago to unearth some sales gems with Steven, a farrier, stockman and former trainer who once prepared Norman Robinson Stakes runner-up and Victoria Derby runner Skilero, in charge of inspections and Alan ticking off the bloodlines.
Linkvue, who is out of the Bernardini mare Linkville, was one that Steven thought had scope to develop beyond the small yearling that might have deterred other potential buyers.
"I just purely go on type, because they've all got good bloodlines somewhere, but we want to try and buy and athlete, or something that can turn into an athlete," Marsden said.
Linkvue was broken in by Bruce O'Dell and then took up residence Trevenson Park, where he was in and out of work before heading to Lake.
The gelding has his young trainer excited and Marsden has been buoyed by the reports since his debut.
"Obviously there's the very good horse in the race, Bold Bastille, and I mentioned to them, and that there was probably some other good ones coming through, but he said they'll all have to be on their A-game to beat him," Marsden said.
Victory would be satisfying beyond the big payday it would bring with Linkvue's jockey Jamie Mott to sport the family colours, which were carried by now-87-year-old Lyle's horses for decades and are still seen on horses trained by another son, Bryan.
"Alan really wanted to get him in those colours because they're the family colours," Marsden said.
"Dad's been a bit unwell and he likes to go to the races, but he doesn't go very often. But he's hoping to come on Saturday."
