Queanbeyan trainer Nick Olive will unleash up-and-coming galloper Just Go Bang in Saturday’s 1200m Class Three Highway Handicap at Royal Randwick.
The three-year-old gelding – by Sizzling and out of Natch Catch – has impressed in his four starts to date, registering three victories.
As a two-year-old, he won his maiden in the 1005m colts and geldings race at the Sapphire Coast in June 2022 before scoring his second victory a month later when taking out the 1400m Benchmark 58 Handicap in class record time at Narrandera.
An injury-induced break meant he was off the scene for close to 12 months, but he returned earlier this month at Narrandera, with the three-year-old finishing strongly for jockey Billy Owen to win the 1200m Class Two Handicap.
“You dream of days like today,” said Just Go Bang’s breeder, owner, and Narrandera Race Club President, Graeme Mathieson.
“This is what racing is all about; you want to win races on your home track on days like today.”
Mathieson explained that Just Go Bang is lucky to be alive, let alone racing, with a horrific paddock accident in the middle of last year almost ending his career.
“He won his first start at the Sapphire Coast and then ran at Moruya on a heavy track and didn’t go any good, and the plan after that was to tip him out,” Mathieson said.
“We raced him at Narrandera before he went to the paddock, and he won there on raw ability, but he was ready for the paddock before that, and we only brought him to Narrandera for a run because he was coming back to my farm.
“After that win, he was on the farm for a couple of days and was just playing around, and I was there when it happened, and he galloped up to the fence, stopped, skidded, and hit the post and took all the skin off, and they reckon he damaged the ligament in the back leg.”
Described as a ‘degloving’ injury, Just Go Bang was nursed back to health, with Mathieson giving his youngster all the time in the world.
“He just needed time, and probably in one way, it might have turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it gave him time to grow,” Mathieson said.
“He was only a two-year-old at the time, and we’ve looked at it that way, and he’s since filled out to be a nice horse, and he’s got a beautiful nature, and he’s just so laid back.”
It’s been a trying 12 or so months for Mathieson, who lost Just Go Bang’s dam Natch Catch (snake bite) and Riverbend Star (accident) while one of his up-and-coming youngsters was involved in, but survived a nasty paddock accident.
“I thought he (Just Go Bang) was finished; I was shattered, and I was ready to give the game away,” Mathieson said.
“I’ve had a bad year with the mare getting kicked and put down, and we lost Natch Catch, and when he hurt his leg, that nearly tipped me over the edge and if he didn’t come back, I would have given it all away.”
Mathieson is now hoping for some good luck with Just Go Bang
“He ran a class record this time last year as a two-year-old, and on his win the other day, he’s still doing it on raw ability,” Mathieson said.
“He’s such a cool customer and even the other day, I didn’t think he was going to win, but Billy got him going with 150m to go, and he showed that good turn of foot.
“You never want to get carried away because you don’t know what will happen next, but it’s all up from here with him.”
Olive recruited the services of Kathy O’Hara on Saturday after regular jockey Billy Owen was booked to ride the Tash Burleigh-trained Iron Will in the same race.
Connections have drawn gate one, and bookmakers have installed the Queanbeyan galloper as a $14 chance.
Olive was keeping a lid on expectations, but with the 2024 Country Championships around the corner, the sky appears to be the limit for Just Go Bang.
“He could be up to that level, but it depends on how many races he wins between now and then,” Olive said.
“We’ll see how he goes, but he has a lot of upside because he is nowhere near switched on, and he’s doing all of this on raw ability.”
It’s another robust Highway Handicap, with the Scott Singleton-trained Melody Again ($4.20) installed as the early favourite.
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