Maiden win for special horse

Mystery Glow’s first win in race one of Thursday’s meet at the Geraldton Turf Club was special.

Not only because it broke the run of four consecutive second-place finishes the four-year-old mare had endured, but also because of her unique connection to one of Northampton Football Club’s saddest, yet most endearing, chapters.

A little over two years ago Kayne Cragan, the popular centre half forward for the Rams’ reserve side, collapsed on the field from the side-effects of what was later diagnosed as a tumour in his brain.

Family friend and majority owner of Mystery Glow Peter Maver was at the ground that day, and said it was something he would never forget.

“I was about 10m away when he dropped to the ground, ” Maver said.

“It was just horrible.”

But it did not take long for the Northampton community to rally behind one of their own and a fundraiser just over a month later collected more than $40,000 to help Cragan manage his illness.

One of the items auctioned at the event was a 10 per cent stake in Mystery Glow, eventually won by Wes Johnson.

“There are a lot of people around who wished they had (a bid) now, ” joked Maver.

Since that night, Mystery Glow has gone on to place in all the six races she has entered, before finally breaking through in the $10,000 XXXX Gold Maiden Stakes.

“I just feel on top of the world because of it — every time I think of what we did it for, ” Maver said.

“The way she has been going we were probably thinking another second is coming up here.

“(But) it was meant to happen I think.”

Cragan has been following the rise of Mystery Glow over the past two years and said he was excited by the result.

“I was pretty stoked for Wes that he got a win, as well as Peter Maver, ” Cragan said.

“It’s great to hear that he’s having a bit of success with it now.”

But even with his special connection to the horse, Cragan said he was not sure if he would be able to make it out to see her next potential start because of work commitments.

“I could call in sick, I guess, ” Cragan said light-heartedly.

In any case, Cragan, who is still undergoing treatment, said he was thankful for the support he had received since that day two years ago.

“I was stoked to get so much support from around town — so many people chipped in, ” he said.

“I feel lucky I’ve got so many people to help me out.”

Mystery Glow’s next run is likely to be at the Geraldton Turf Club on Melbourne Cup Day, but Maver was reluctant to predict how he thought she would go.

“You start saying things about your horses before they run and they normally run last, ” he said.