Mum’s miracle win after son’s tumour battle

By Jordan Gerrans

With her son battling the fight of his life with a brain tumour, Gold Coast hobby trainer Lynlea Small needed a mental distraction from the day-to-day rigours of what her family was enduring. 

The wife of legendary Queensland hoop Cyril headed south from the Sunshine State to Melbourne to support her son Braidon in his medical battle. 

The 61-year-old spent around six weeks in Victoria alongside her sick son and the rest of the Small clan a few years ago as they banded together to inspire Braidon through his health journey. 

“I think for me, I needed a project,” Lynlea recalls of when she purchased galloper Weekend Artist in early 2024.

“I bought him with Braidon sitting beside me.

“I moved to Melbourne with Braidon when he had his radiation therapy and we just made every day an adventure in Melbourne.

“And, this one day, I just bought a horse because I’d been really wanting to buy a horse.

“I just needed something else.

“I was working full-time; it's not like I wasn't busy but just having that horse has been the difference for me."

On Friday evening at the Sunshine Coast, Weekend Artist broke his maiden status and, in the process, handed Lynlea her first victory in almost a decade.

It was almost 10 years to the day since her last victory, which came on May 7, 2016.

Like his mother’s project, Braidon is also kicking goals once again.

The Victorian-based jumps jockey has come through his brain tumour battle and has returned to the saddle with success.

Braidon rode his first winner in three years last month at Terang and is competing in the famous Warrnambool carnival this week.

Popular jumps rider Braidon took two rides on Tuesday and has another booking on Thursday.

Just as she did during Braidon’s cancer battle, Lynlea is back in Victoria this week, alongside husband Cyril, to watch her son at the races, with several other family members engaged at the popular carnival. 

Weekend Artist was initially prepared by former jockey-turned-trainer Peter Robl at the Gold Coast before it was decided the son of Trapeze Artist was set to be moved on after two lacklustre runs.

The chestnut gelding was put online for sale and after Lynlea spotted the maiden runner, the Small family went to work on finding out if he was the horse for them.  

Before Lynlea acquired Weekend Artist, she had not taken a horse to the races in her name since Dubai Gee Eye retired in October of 2019.

Dubai Gee Eye was her last winner at Lismore almost a decade ago.

The Small family got in contact with Trapeze Artist’s owner and breeder Bert Vieira and the rest is history.

“I rang Cyril and said, ‘Oh my god, you have to see this horse," Lynlea recalls. 

“I thought he was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life.

“Bert was just so beautiful to deal with and he's just been so supportive of me.

“I often send him a message to tell him, I just keep him fully informed about this horse the whole way through.

“When he first arrived, Cyril said to me when he started riding him that he's going to be a 2000 metre horse, this fella.

“Bert was so amazing and we just fell instantly in love with him.”

The Small camp took Weekend Artist to the races on 16 occasions before breaking through on Friday evening on the Caloundra Polytrack.

The stable and the five-year-old gelding deserved a victory after placing five times in those 16 runs.

Gold Coast hoop Danny Peisley steered Weekend Artist to victory over 1400 metres in his first-up effort since November of last year.

“From day one, he's always told us that he's capable,” Lynlea said of her galloper. 

“It was just a matter of time. We were actually quietly confident on Friday night.

“We just knew that he loves Polytracks and it was about if he would handle the Sunshine Coast one as he likes it on the Gold Coast Polytrack.

“But, Cyril just said to me, he's ready to win. I was really, really happy for Danny because he's ridden him before and it was a brilliant ride. It's still really exciting to win.

“He is truly absolutely magnificent, he really is a beautiful horse and he's such a lovely kind horse.

“He has been an absolute delight and I just love him so much and I tell him all the time.”

Champion jockey Cyril has not ridden in a race since September of 2023, but he still partners Weekend Artist around the Gold Coast in his trackwork and gallops.

Lynlea joked that Weekend Artist’s victory on Friday evening was Cyril’s first win as a strapper of his lengthy time in the racing game as he could not recall a time he had strapped a galloper before at the races.

Cyril’s career will always be headlined by his association with champion gelding Vo Rogue.