Gulberti sings praises of his ‘miracle’ Ihtsahymn

Geraldton-reared globetrotting trainer Rob Gulberti reckons Darwin Cup No.2 was the grand final “we shouldn’t have won”. “It was probably more rewarding than the first one, because we were on the back foot,” Gulberti said of his “miracle man” Ihtsahymn. A 10-year-old, though seemingly ageless when racing, the gallant grey last month called on all his fighting qualities to claim back-to-back wins in the $100,000 Darwin Cup at Fannie Bay. A year earlier, the horse, who came out of retirement to race under Gulberti’s guidance, won the top race in the Top End. Never say never, or so they say, but it’s long odds the team will be back to defend the title and chase a hat-trick of Darwin cups in 2021. But the cue isn’t going back in the rack, yet. Gulberti, who spent 10 weeks on the road with Ihtsahymn and a team of gallopers, is eyeing the coming Kalgoorlie Cup for the grey, whom he refers to as “Reggie”, nicknamed after his main owner, Reg Webb. “I reckon he can win it (Kalgoorlie cup); he’s certainly capable of it,” Gulberti said. “He was third last year, but he’d only had one soft trial in eight weeks. “ It’s like a footballer coming into a grand final after doing a hammy and not having much training. “There’s no substitute for match practice. “I’ll give him some rest and then we’ll get serious for it; the race will just about be the end of the road for him.” Ihtsahymn was prepared by all-round horseman Fred Kersley in his formative career, his highlight win being in the Group 1 Fruit ‘n’ Veg Stakes as a three-year-old. Kersley, who was trackside in Darwin last year, was amazed at his performance then. Last month, he watched from Perth and was blown away. “There’s no way I thought he could win this year — no way,” he said. Gulberti, who has spent his career training from Broome, said he believed the grey could make a successful return to the racetrack.