Mare gives Fidge good Reason to chase Cranbourne 10,000

Balancing training with a full-time job can be quite a challenge. Right now Kyabram owner-trainer Paul Fidge is getting it right.

Fidge is content to have just the one horse in work and it is easy to see why with four-year-old mare Imperials Reason in career-best form.

Imperials Reason has four wins, two seconds and a third from seven starts this season and will be looking to add to that record in the Hygain Cranbourne 10,000 Pace Final over 2080 metres at Cranbourne on Sunday.

She qualified for the final with a win at Cranbourne on May 15, with Fidge having trained Imperials Reason since early last season after she started her career in New South Wales.

“We were on the look out for a horse and I liked the way she raced.”

He said she was a little immature initially and so, after she ran a couple of minor placings in her first campaign for him, Fidge gave her a spell.

“She had longer off than I expected because when I brought her back into work I hurt my back. Then the owner wanted to sell her, so I ended up buying her myself.”

Fidge began the preparation with a run at Maryborough and then took her to Wagga for a NSW Breeders Challenge heat.

While she did not progress in the series Fidge made the call to send her to the stable of Rob and KerryAnn Morris, where she placed in four of five runs in December and January before returning home.

Imperials Reason has gone from strength-to-strength since, winning back-to-back at Birchip and Charlton and again at Bendigo before the Cranbourne success.

As good as she is going, Fidge said the daughter of For A Reason was still learning what racing was all about.

“She’s still not quite there as a racehorse. She’ll be better in her next preparation.”

Fidge is planning to spell Imperials Reason after Sunday’s engagement, when she’s drawn wide on the front row, something that doesn’t have her trainer concerned.

“She prefers to be out and running rather a sit and sprint. We’ll press forward and probably race outside the leader,” he said.

She worked into that position in her heat from the second row and went on to win by a head.

Ryan Sanderson has driven her right through this campaign and will again have the reins.

Fidge has been in the Goulburn Valley about three years after relocating from South Australia, where he enjoyed success with trotter Pocketfullofcash, who won 19 races including the Group 2 2017 SA Trotters Cup.