Nutty professor or genius trainer?

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  8 HOURS AGO APRIL 18, 2014 11:53PM

Breeder Gary Turkington, who races Fifth Column. Source: News Limited

UNIVERSITY lecturer and part-time trainer Gerard Betros knows he is probably on a hiding to nothing running $501 chance Fifth Column in today’s Sydney Cup, but he’s not shying away from the challenge.

Betros trains a team of just two horses at Oakey, while his full-time gig is teaching Business Ethics at the University of Southern Queensland.

He doesn’t need a PhD to know he’s bitten off a monumental task with Fifth Column, the winner of an Ipswich 2100m Maiden and Class 1.

“I guess it oscillates between two extremes. If he runs well, I’m a genius and if he goes poorly, then I’m a goose,” Betros said.

“Racing is about boundless optimism and it’s exciting to say the least (to be involved with The Championships).

“I had this race in mind ever since he ran an excellent race in the Queensland Cup in his first preparation.”

Fifth Column is raced by popular Darling Downs breeders Gary and Phoebe Turkington, who won’t be among the 25,000 Randwick revellers today.

“I’m not buying a new car today. I’ll wait till Tuesday. They can mail me the cheque,” Gary said.

“If he happens to win or even run a place, I will be very happy to be an absentee winner.”

Turkington said he was happy to go along with Betros’ long term plan, despite Fifth Column’s recent form looking anything but Sydney Cup material.

“Gerard has wanted to set it for the Sydney Cup the whole way through and he’s told us the horse won’t disappoint us,” he said.

“My first reaction was to ask ‘are you sure?’ but he told us the same thing before the Queensland Cup where everyone laughed and we ran second.

“Sillier things have happened. You look at the field and wonder what you’re doing there, but he beat some of the more hyped up imports in the Queensland Cup and there was a bit of form out of that race, with Ibicenco winning the Geelong Cup.”

The Turkingtons’ Wattle Brae Stud has a proud history in Queensland racing, but it was an horrific accident that thrust the family into the public eye last August.

Their 16-year-old daughter Paris suffered serious burns when accelerant was poured on to an open fire at a Harristown party.

She spent 32 days in an induced coma, during which time she had nine operations.

Turkington said his daughter had shown remarkable resilience as she continues her recovery.

“There’s still a long haul, but the skin grafts are healing and doctors are happy with her progress,” he said.