Geran stable not concerned with wet track for Star Rapper

By Glenn Davis

The big wet over South East Queensland hasn’t scared off Toowoomba’s mother-and-son training partnership of Kylie and Corey Geran from heading to Doomben on Wednesday.

'Team Geran' will head down the Toowoomba range with former Victorian Star Rapper for the Class 4 Handicap over 1110 metres and Strike Me Pink in the QTIS Three-Year-Old Maiden Plate over 1650 metres.

Star Rapper joined the Geran stable over the summer and made his Queensland debut when third to the Billy Healey-trained Admitted in a 1000 metre Class 3 Handicap at the Sunshine Coast on February 22.

“It was a good run, but he was a little slow away and ended up being one or two lengths further back than we expected,” co-trainer Corey Geran said.

“He’s got good gate speed normally so he should race handy in this.

“I think he’s up to this grade in town and hopefully he’ll make a Saturday grade horse.”

Star Rapper’s career was restricted to only nine starts in Victoria for his previous trainer Nick Ryan after winning at Wangaratta and later at Murtoa.

“We bought him online for around $45,000 as he had pretty good form in Victoria,” Corey Geran said.

“He had two wins and six placings and only missed a place once down there.

“He began his career in Tasmania, but he never raced there before he started off racing in Victoria.”

A five-year-old son of Zoustar, Star Rapper handled the soft track conditions well at the Sunshine Coast which is one of the reasons 'Team Geran' is not afraid of a step up in grade to the city midweeks.

Star Rapper’s wet track form is hard to fault after placing in three of his four starts in soft conditions while he’s started twice on heavy tracks for a win and a third.

“He’s got good wet track form so he should race well,” Corey Geran said.

“I wasn’t going to start him on Wednesday until I saw there were only eight acceptors and he loves the wet.”

Corey Geran has been training alongside his mother since 2019 and the pair has 65 horses in work.

Team Geran’s biggest win was with Nikau Spur who won the Listed Queensland Cup and Listed Beauford at Newcastle in 2024.

Unfortunately, Nikau Spur had to be retired after finishing third at his last start in a 2000 metre Benchmark race at Doomben in November last year.

“He was a nine-year-old and picked up a minor injury in his last run, so we decided it was time to retire him,” Corey Geran said.

Nikau Spur finished his career with two Listed wins among nine victories and 19 placings from 53 starts with prizemoney earnings of more than $785,000.