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By Tony Megahey

The name is a racing institution on the Northern Rivers and for the McGurens - Samantha and Matthew - who met as brilliant young apprentice riders, their first city starter, outsider Fortyfive Parklane ($51 on TAB) is likely an endurance test for Matt into a TAB Highway at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.

It’s his only ride and Matthew, a former champion rodeo and heavyweight picnic rider, has battled weight issues all his celebrated 781-win career and he can’t get down to the 55kg allocated to Fortyfive Parklane into a $100,000 Class 3, 1200m again on heavy going.

Matthew McGuren - will be aboard Fortyfive Parklane for his wife Samantha. Image by Greg White

“Matty will ride a kilo over, it would have been just too hard on him,” Samantha explained in just her second training season and 10-career wins, including three with Fortyfive Park Lane, discarded as a long-term maiden by profile Victorian stables.

Widely travelled Matt regularly drives to meetings in northern NSW and Queensland in a wet suit and with the heater on to shed vital kilos required for allocated weights.

The taller jockeys who are not natural lightweights, understand Matt’s sacrifices.

The McGurens, proud parents of daughters nine and six years, are established on a pristine 50-acre farm 20km outside of Grafton.

They train a dozen gallopers on an 800m track, run beef cattle and Matt is already pre-training and breaking, preparing for a career after race riding.

“We’re planning to send the horse down Friday, give him time to settle in and get over that long float trip. We drew nicely so planning to settle on-pace.”

From love-struck brilliant teenager riders over decade ago, the McGurens are rapidly building a successful racing enterprise in the Clarence Valley.

Fortyfive Park Lane has been a revelation for them with three races wins. The Written Tycoon five-year-old gelding was sacked by profile Victorians, Team Price and Kent and the Templeton stable as a 15-race maiden.

'Sam', the leading NSW apprentice in the 2010/11 seasons, rode as Samantha Munro and explained her riding retirement: “Long time ago, but simple, fell pregnant.

“And when we had our girls we bought the farm planned our future training when Matt eventually has to give up race riding. Long hours but we love it, been our lives.”

So, what has brought about a rejuvenation in the Written Tycoon gelding?

“We bought him off the internet, he was really light-on when he came up but sound; they often thrive in a new environment and more personal care.

“When he put on a stack of weight he was a happy horse, started to work super for Matt. And he had run a few placings in Victorian maidens, Yarra Valley in one and bred well enough.”

Victorian maiden form invariably holds up in NSW regionals.

“We were going to syndicate him out, but Matt came back from riding him work one morning and reckoned we’d better keep him for ourselves,” Sam chuckled. ”The best of judges Matt!"

Resuming after a two-month spell, Fortyfive Parklane spaced Grafton maiden opposition with 59kg ridden by Matt and followed up with a convincing Class I success with 57kg for Brooke Stower.

Samantha offered excuses for his last start failure out to 1400m and up in grade in the Maclean Cup ridden by rookie apprentice Jai Williams.

“We claimed ‘three’, out in distance, but he’s just not a kid’s horse. So headstrong, went way too hard at 1400m, ran his race before the turn. We had a senior on all his previous runs.”

Fiftyfive Parklane is long odds behind $4.40 TAB favourite Iconic Dame and Molly Nails ($4.60), with So Country, Mel O’Gorman’s recent “Gardens” Highway winner, at $5.50.

At present the track is a Heavy 10 but could well receive an upgrade with the sun shining and no rain predicted before raceday.

View the final fields with full form & race replays for Rosehill Gardens here