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By Ray Hickson

It’s probably a miracle that Garrison is alive let alone chasing back-to-back wins at Rosehill on Saturday.

Trainer Kim Waugh (Pic: Bradley Photos).

Trainer Kim Waugh marvels at the resilience of the six-year-old who came to her stable with feet issues but it was a bout of colic in the middle of last year that turned into an emergency requiring a lifesaving operation.

Garrison had run second behind Dehorned Unicorn in a race at Warwick Farm in June but it wasn’t too long after that performance the gelding had to be rushed to Randwick Equine Centre.

“It was life or death,’’ Waugh said.

“He had a swim and he came back and went to go on the walker, we noticed he looked a little bit agitated so we didn't put him on and kept an eye on him.

“It does happen sometimes when they have a swim, they can get a bellyache. We treated him for it and he wasn’t getting any better so we got the vet in.

“By this time he was getting really bad so we had to send him in to Randwick Equine and they opened him up and took some of his intestine out, untwisted it, and he came through.”

You wouldn’t have known the ordeal Garrison has been through when he resumed with an easy all the way Midway win at Randwick on New Year’s Eve. It was only his seventh start since joining the Wyong trainer in late 2020.

Waugh is known for her passion for the animal and she’s nursed Garrison back to full health – and touch wood that includes his feet.

“He's the most beautiful horse to train, such a gentleman, but he has terrible feet and when we got him he had a couple of quarter cracks,’’ she said.

“We’d get them healed and they’d split back open. I have a new farrier doing him and he's done an amazing job. Touch wood his feet look good and they are very healthy.

“He’s just a nice horse that gives you 100 per cent. He’s issue free at the moment which is really nice.”

With a run under his belt Waugh is confident Garrison, $5.50 with TAB on Thursday, can back up that first-up performance in the City Tattersalls Group Handicap (1200m) at Rosehill.

It’ll be a different challenge for him, first-up he drew the inside and bounced to the front but he’s faced with the outside in a field of eight this time around.

Waugh said that’s not so much of a concern given he has some early speed but the more significant factor is the benefit of racing.

“He had a lot of improvement in him and I thought he’d need the run to tighten up and get more fitness into him because he's a big, gross, horse,’’ she said.

“He won fantastically and he pulled up having a good blow and has done very well since.”

If you think Garrison has been in the wars spare a thought for Erno who will be having his second run in three years in the Schweppes Handicap (1350m).

Erno showed talent as a young horse, he is twice a Warwick Farm winner, but has had to overcome a tendon injury that cost him about 15 months and a torn hamstring before finally making his comeback at Gosford at the end of December.

And it was an encouraging effort to be beaten just over two lengths by Per Inaway in a strong Class 4 event over 1200m.

Garrison wins at Randwick on December 31

“I thought he ran super, he drew awkwardly but we didn’t want him going forward,’’ she said.

“He was three deep all the way and got pushed out wide on the turn. If he’d had a nice run and been able to cart up around the turn, he’s been beaten two lengths, he would have been right on their back.”

Kim Waugh's comments on her other Rosehill runners:

Sweet Ruby (Race 8): “They just went so fast at Gosford and she was really out of her comfort zone so I thought I’d get her confidence back. She’s worked well during the week. It’s a nice race for her.”

Whanga Wonder (Race 9): “She’s a tough mare. I put blinkers back on her because she’s been very patchy in her race the last couple, just dropping the bit midrace. I couldn’t be happier with the way she’s going.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Rosehill meeting