Crooked Stick continues stunning run of form since move to Queensland

CROOKED Stick’s stunning transformation under trainer Stephen Jones has continued with her fifth win since arriving at his stables.

Crooked Stick returns to scale with Jag Guthmann-Chester aboard after victory at the Gold Coast on Saturday. Picture: Jessica Hawkins, Trackside Photography

CROOKED Stick’s stunning transformation under trainer Stephen Jones has continued with her fifth win since arriving at his stables.

The six-year-old mare won the Griffith University Benchmark 75 (1400m) race on the Gold Coast on Saturday by three lengths to take her ­strikerate under Jones to five wins from 18 starts.

The win followed Crooked Stick’s victory at the $25,000 The Hotel Cecil Casino Gold Cup (1400m) in August.

Crooked Stick has also ­secured four second-place ­finishes to average a place in every two starts with the Beaudesert-based trainer.

It is a startling turnaround from Crooked Stick after she was sent to Queensland by owner Gerry Harvey horribly out of form in July last year.

“She came up here from Sydney with no form and then we turned her around,” Jones said.

“I have trained for Gerry for 30 years so he sends me horses now and again. She won a couple in Sydney and then lost all form so he sent her out to me.

“I think she had a bit of a muscle problem and we just treated her for that.

“When she first came up she was staying in the barriers.

“She wouldn’t jump and must have been sore behind or something.

“We turned her around and she has been quite honest since ... so we went into the Gold Coast race pretty confident.

“We just have to keep her a bit fresh and keep her happy,” he said.

Crooked Stick’s form has given Jones a number of ­options to go forward with as he searches for more success for the galloper.

Jones is contemplating ­returning to the Gold Coast in the coming weeks, going to town or even the Warwick Cup on October 8.