Upstart Colac district trainer Rachael Gane has her fingers crossed for an early Christmas present tomorrow.
One of Gane’s five horses, brown gelding Burbury, will have its first start for her in the first race at Colac Turf Club’s Christmas meeting.
The still-winless four-year-old will be the sentimental favourite given her trainer is still trying to forge a living in a business getting tougher by the day.
Gane, like her horse, is the underdog.
As a part-time trainer, Gane is licensed to keep up to five horses for other trainers.
Any success she can have now
will go a long way to helping her gain her full training licence and begin her dream of building a larger stable.
Gane’s property at Cororooke has already received several additions after one of her horses, Cimarron Rose, produced a stunning upset as
a $71-shot in race at Kilmore in July. 
“I’ve always wanted to get my full licence and start training
full-time,” Gane said.
“I started in the business as a track rider for trainers in
South Australia and I’ve done a bit for Mark Young down here,” she said.
“After Cimarron Rose had that win things started to escalate for me.”
Gane, who uses nearby Lake Corangamite for training, hopes lightning will strike twice with Burbury tomorrow.
“She will need a lot of luck. But there’s no better place for her to
start than on her home track,” she said.
Gane is also a horse masseuse and, for the time being, said she was enjoying be able to give each of her horses the individual care they required.
“With a small team, I’m able to give each horse that one-on-one care they wouldn’t get if they were in a bigger stable,” Gane said.
“I also do all the massaging work myself so my owners don’t have to get someone else in to do that.”

CHRISTMAS TIME: The countdown to Colac Turf Club’s Christmas meeting will end tomorrow. Trainer Rachael Gane and her five-year-old chestnut mare Blazette entered into the spirit of the meeting at her property at Cororooke this week. Gane is one of four Colac district trainers with starters in tomorrow’s races.