WINNING a second Waterfront By Lyndoch Living Grand Annual Steeplechase with Gold Medals would elevate the 11-year-old to legendary status in Australia's most famous jumps race, trainer Symon Wilde says.
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Gold Medals, who won the time-honoured event in 2018 before running second in 2019 and 2020, carries the hopes of the locals in Thursday's feature over 33 fences and 5500 metres.
"Gold Medals has a huge local following," Wilde told The Standard.
"He's not only a favourite with the stable staff but plenty of people from all over the district follow his fortunes very keenly each year in the Annual.
"He's tough and brave. His record at Warrnambool is sensational. I think if he wins another Grand Annual he goes to another level.
"He's got to be looked on as a legend of the 'Bool if he wins.
"There's no other horse that has won his first race in a maiden over 1000 metres as a two-year-old back in 2012 and he's still racing today as an 11-year-old over 5500 metres.
"He's had a fierce rivalry with Zed Em in the Annual. They're like two old warriors, they just keep on turning up and having a really good crack. There just super competitive."
Ciaron Maher, who has trained five Grand Annual winners, acknowledged the training performances of Wilde with Gold Medals and Zed Em's Patrick Payne.
"It's just incredible what Symon and Patrick have done with both their horses in the Annuals over the years," Maher said.
"I can tell you it's really difficult to get a horse up for one tilt at an Annual let alone Gold Medals and Zed Em to be running in the great race for a fourth consecutive year. I take my hat off to both of them."
Maher, who trains in partnership with David Eustace, has Yensir and Bit Of A Lad in the Grand Annual.
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