Peter The Piper leads them home in Einasleigh Cup

Images supplied by Peter Roy

By Garry Dell

In a resemblance of the old fable of the Pied Piper, four-year-old gelding Peter The Piper had his own special following in taking out the $15,000 Einasleigh Cup on Saturday.

Peter The Piper was accompanied on the four-and-a-half hour float trip from Innisfail by trainer Krystin Allender's three-year-old son Bailey and his pet pony Sweet Pea.

Ridden by Lacey Morrison, Peter The Piper staved off a strong finish from the Janel Ryan-trained Gaelic and survived a protest hearing in the stewards room.

Allender bought Peter The Piper for $10,000 from Sunshine Coast stables of Garnet Taylor a few months ago with the sole aim of picking up the Einasleigh Cup and Mt Garnet Cup double.

He was successful for her at Cairns and on Saturday was having only his third run from a spell.

"I went up there last year with Love Flies and knew what sort of horse was needed to win the Cup," Allender said.

"It's a long way with more than an hour's driving on dirt roads but the trip was worth all the bumps and bruises.

"Bailey enjoyed himself and little Sweet Pea never turned a hair.

"We went up on Friday and cleaned the float out in the afternoon and rolled out our swags to sleep in it.

"It was my first Cup win of my career so we celebrated around the campfire on Saturday night and came home yesterday."

Allender, who has had her trainer's licence for only four years, has had a good grounding in the racing industry.

Formerly from Victoria, she began her career with top Melbourne trainer John Sadler.

Allender has a trusty stable assistant in teenager Emily who helps with exercise and trackwork and also with the horses' beach work.

"I've got three horses in work at the moment with another couple to come in shortly," Allender said.

"I ride most of my own fast work on the Innisfail track where my stables are."

Allender has a good record in protest hearings - one by Lacey Morrison against her at Gordonvale was also dismissed - giving her two out of two in her favor.

"I don't like protests as I'm not much good as a speaker in the stewards' room so I've been pretty lucky so far," she said.

"I don't want to go there again in a hurry though."