Kilmore trainer Tony Carter-Smith has a smart jumper in his keeping.
The long-time freeze brander and hobby trainer sent his galloper Blood And Sand to the Cranbourne stable of Kim and Gayle Mayberry for his jumping career as Carter-Smith doesn’t have a licence to train jumpers.
After educating the six-year-old Arena gelding at home, Carter-Smith gave Blood And Sand to the Mayberrys a month ago.
After winning trials at Warrnambool and Cranbourne, Blood And Sand ($17) made his jumps debut at Warrnambool last Thursday and was most impressive in taking out the $30,000 Midfield One-Jumps-Win Hurdle (3200m).
Ridden by Tom Ryan, the gelding defeated the Darren Weir-trained $1.85 favourite Killarney Kid by 5½ lengths with Evanesce ($3.80) a further two lengths away, third.
The runner-up had won his previous jumps start at Bendigo by six lengths.
Blood And Sand’s winning time was 2.3 and 4.6 seconds respectively faster than those clocked in the two maiden hurdle races on the program. 
“He’s always shown me that he can jump, but if I’d known he was going to be this good I would have applied for my licence,” Carter-Smith said.
“Kim has kept me well informed with his  progress.
“Tom (Ryan) is keen to ride him in the $125,000 J.J. Houlahan Hurdle at Ballarat on Sunday. I don’t know if that’s aiming too high at this stage,” he said.
Blood And Sand is raced by Carter-Smith and partner Robyn Masters, along with long-time friends — retired The Age racing journalist Glenn Lester, his wife Christine, the Mayberrys and Ruth Bradley.
The gelding has had 19 starts on the flat for two wins and three minor placings.
Going strong
Kilmore resident Kath Merton and her Broadford-based son Brent are having plenty of fun with Temps Voleur, the seven-year-old gelding they part-own.
The Chris Bieg-trained Temps Voleur ($7.50) made it back-to-back Adelaide metrop wins when he took the the $45,000 UBET Handicap (1550m) at Morphettville Parks last Saturday — but not before giving his connections a scare.
Apprentice Justin Huxtable was dislodged en route to the start when the gelding turned sharply, unbalancing him. 
Temps Voleur then galloped a short distance before being captured by the clerk of the course. 
Passed fit to race, Temps Voleur was driven to the lead from the widest gate and was never headed, defeating By The Grace ($4.60) by 2¼ lengths.
In his previous win, at Gawler’s city-class card in July, Temps Voleur beat last Saturday’s Flemington winner The Statesman.
“He’s going as well as he ever has. He’s a little beauty,” an excited Brent Merton said.
The gelding now has 11 win (all metro) and seven minor placings from 58 starts, collecting $375,350 in prizemoney.

Bad break for Blake
This writer was shocked to hear the news of champion jockey and former Kilmore boy Blake Shinn’s fall in a trial at Randwick on Monday.
The Melbourne Cup-winning hoop sustained fractures to his C1 and C3 vertebrae.
My wish, Blake, is for you to have a comfortable and speedy recovery