By Michael Howard (HRV)<\/p>\n
A \u201cstressful\u201d flood ravaged day has ended in a stunning Group 1 success for Duncan McPherson\u2019s Aldebaran Park, whose camp has\u00a0endured incredible challenges and a significant high.<\/p>\n
The breeding principal has shared the Nagambie farm\u2019s harrowing morning, when they were inundated by floodwaters that required their horses to be evacuated.<\/p>\n
And McPherson has reflected on Saturday\u2019s extraordinary turn of fortunes, with the breeder\u2019s three-year-old Aldebaran Keepa producing\u00a0a stunning final sprint to capture the Group 1 Catanach\u2019s Jewellers Victoria Trotters Oaks at Tabcorp Park Melton.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor her to measure up was just outstanding,\u201d McPherson told TrotsVision. \u201cVery proud of everyone today and the continued work at the farm that Mel and Danny (Thackerey) do up there \u2013 to save the horses and then come tonight and win a Group 1 \u2026 you just don\u2019t expect these things in life.\u201d<\/p>\n
McPherson said they thought the farm was \u201call right last night\u201d, but at 4am \u201cthere was a bit of a murmur, and then they were swimming horses out at eight o\u2019clock\u201d this morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not the nicest thing to do, you\u2019re walking breast deep in water trying to get horses out of paddocks,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got fences half under water, it\u2019s very difficult to herd and get them, but we managed to get all ours out.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was achieved with a few setbacks but great effort and support.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first thing we did was get the horses out of the deep paddock, which were four and five foot deep, and get them up on to the highest ground we could,\u201d McPherson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd by the time we got them up on to the higher ground the water just kept coming, so it didn\u2019t matter which paddock we put them in.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then the cavalry arrived about one o\u2019clock. It wasn\u2019t only us, people were helping the Weidenbachs, people were helping the Flemings, we were all in each other\u2019s properties helping each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t thank people enough. I\u2019ve never met these people and the time they gave us and the way they did things was just absolutely outstanding. We couldn\u2019t have done it on our own.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost importantly they\u2019re all standing on dry ground tonight. Just a wonderful effort from everyone in the district but also the team at Aldebaran Park.\u201d<\/p>\n
To then cap the most challenging of days off with an extraordinary win was all the more stunning.<\/p>\n
Chris Alford took the reins of Aldebaran Keepa for New Zealand co-trainers Bernie Hackett and Michelle Wallis, but not all went to plan in the race and with a quarter to run their filly was buried on the pegs and seemingly with no path home.<\/p>\n
\u201cThings went really to plan,\u201d Alford joked on TrotsVision, \u201cI really wanted to be four back the pegs at the 400 with nowhere to go, but\u00a0she got clear just before we straightened and I thought she may get out and run a place.<\/p>\n
“To give them four lengths turning in and to win by two running away was pretty special.\u00a0Tonight she settled really well and I was pretty amazed at how good she was.\u201d<\/p>\n
And Alford was hopeful it would bring some much deserved satisfaction to the Aldebaran Park team.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re all having a tough time up there,\u201d he said. \u201cThe farm\u2019s flooded and they had to move 65 horses, so a little bit of a happy moment on a bad day.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Michael Howard (HRV) A \u201cstressful\u201d flood ravaged day has ended in a stunning Group 1 success for Duncan McPherson\u2019s Aldebaran Park, whose camp has\u00a0endured incredible challenges and a significant high. The breeding principal has shared the Nagambie farm\u2019s harrowing morning, when they were inundated by floodwaters that required their horses to be evacuated. And […]<\/p>\n