02 February 2024 , 10:39
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A racehorse who was feared lost when floods engulfed his owner’s property has won his first race.
The almost unbelievable story came to light when Storm Watch scored on his racecourse debut at Werribee in Victoria on Friday. In 2022 he was one of two yearlings who disappeared when millionaire owner and entrepreneur Gerry Ryan’s Mitchelton winery and gallery in Nagambie were flooded.
Connections feared the worst but Storm Watch was found many miles away from home and eventually able to go into training with Lindsey Smith, who produced him to gain a hard fought triumph.
"He's lucky to be here,” said Smith, quoted by Racenet.com. “A couple of years ago when the floods were up at Nagambie, he was found about 100km away.
"His nickname's Wilson, after the [volley] ball on 'Castaway'.
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"He was in good hands with Tony Merrifield, who runs Limerick Farm up there. This one they just couldn't find him, they got the phone call, with the brands and whatnot, and there he was, way down the river.
"I know the farm will be very happy, they're quite close to this horse because of the courage he's shown. They did an incredible job saving those horses and Wilson's here to tell the story.
"If he couldn't run, we were going to put him in the swimming race!"