Owner rewarded with a winner after fitting in three meetings in 24 hours

The buzz of watching a horse run as an owner, no matter how small your share, is enormous, and those who have made an investment frequently rack up the miles to make sure they are present to watch the action unfold.

But Ray Nicholson has raised the bar to an almost insurmountable level, as he raced around Australia to watch not one, not two, but three horses he has a stake in.

For British-based owners, a trip from Newton Abbot to Perth in one day would be considered a mammoth undertaking. But that 510-mile journey pales into insignificance compared to Nicholson's effort.

The Queensland resident made a 3,000km round trip through Friday into Saturday that took in visits to Bendigo, Canterbury and Caulfield.

That equates to 1,864 miles, which if you started in London would result in you comfortably overshooting Moscow.

Ray Nicholson's Australian odyssey

Leg one Bendigo 1pm Friday
Invincible Lad - Finished 2nd

Leg two Flight to Sydney for Canterbury 6.15pm
Moss Trip - Winner

Leg three Flight to Melbourne for Caulfield 2.40pm
Wooshka - Finished 9th

Nicholson's Phileas Fogg impression was not in vain as he witnessed Moss Trip score at Canterbury, while Invincible Lad was only a head away from making it a double.

Reflecting on the whirlwind 24 hours, he said: "I'm glad I made the trip now!

"People were saying it was a bit mad what I was trying to attempt, but once I realised it was possible I had it in my head that was what I was going to do."

Given the amount of mileage involved, traffic problems were always likely, and Nicholson did have to get his skates on to make sure he was able to watch Moss Trip win.

"I was straight in the car after Invincible Lad and it was touch and go getting to Melbourne airport," he said.

"Then Sydney traffic is always worse than you budget for. I didn't think I'd make it at one stage but this filly is a bit special. She's a little ripper and it's just great to be here to witness it on track as there's nothing quite like a winner.

"When she got caught on the rail I think we all had a bit of a scare but she's such a brave horse and has a real turn of foot to get her out of trouble."

Now back home, Nicholson is going to have a well earned rest for the remainder of the weekend.

He added: "I think I'll be putting my feet up and have a quiet Sunday at home!"

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