By her own admission Lyn Kiddle is a small time trainer who doesn’t seek publicity or feels comfortable stealing the limelight.
It’s an honest appraisal from Kiddle but one she will be forced to reconsider if her favourite horse continues his rate of improvement.
Run Liam Run has given Kiddle’s profile a major spike with his performances at Albany this season.
The son of Passenger has won four straight races and is showing all the signs of developing into a top sprinter.
Last Thursday was arguably a career-best performance when he scored narrowly from Foxy Commander.
It was the manner of the victory rather than the quality of opposition or margin that impressed.
Resuming from an unbeaten summer campaign, Run Liam Run dug deep and showed his fighting qualities over the final stages.
The gelding is on a hot winning streak with a debut sixth the only blemish on a near perfect career record.
His sustained success has raised expectations and presented Kiddle with new opportunities.
She is left with the pleasant conundrum of either remaining at home on home soil in Albany or testing the waters with a start in Perth.
“I’m not sure whether to tackle the Fitzpatrick Plate on Sunday or go to Perth for a race on Derby day,” said Kiddle.
“He will eventually race in Perth so it might be a good test to see if he is up to that type of class.
“I’m also concerned he might get a ratings jump if he were good enough to take out the Fitzpatrick Plate.
“I’m not used to making important decisions with horses who are good enough.
“To be honest it’s doing my head in and keeping me up at nights.
“My track rider Jodie Hill has been absolutely sensational and given me a real help.
“She knows the horse as well as anyone and I trust her judgement.
“Gerry Hughes has also been invaluable and has told me to trust my gut instincts.
“At this stage I will nominate and see what we might be up against but I’m leaning to Perth.
“He is still very green but I haven’t reached the bottom with him yet.
“I would like to give him one or two more starts this campaign before giving him a decent break.”
Kiddle is delighted to have Run Liam Run alive let alone racing after he developed a tendency to eat sand as a yearling.
Most horses outgrow this inclination as a weanling but if it’s not treated it can lead to severe colic and be terminal.
Kiddle sourced alternative therapies after conventional methods advised by veterinarians had proved ineffective.
“What changes we made to his environment or otherwise just didn’t work and the vets said if we couldn’t find a solution he wouldn’t last a year,” said Kiddle.
“I sourced the internet and found a naturopath who recommended treatment that required him to be fed intravenously twice a day.
“My husband and I basically put our lives on hold and couldn’t go anywhere for close to a year so we could treat him.
“Part of the process involved breaking down his manure in a bucket of water to make certain sand was breaking through.
“It was tedious and time consuming but we loved him and were going to do whatever it took to save his life.”
Run Liam Run, who debuted in March last year, has won four races from five starts with $35,000 in stake earnings.
