The end of the road for winning Lismore horse | Horse Racing

Dave Kirkpatrick | 14th January 2009

Owner Kevin Cocciola, far right, and trainer Owen Glue with Capilano Road.

CAPILANO ROAD, the orphan horse that transformed into a winning galloper, has officially been put out to pasture at Parrots Nest near Lismore.

The seven-year-old gelding has regularly featured on the pages of The Northern Star and was better known as ‘Saleyards’ before the paper held a competition to name him.

His story captured the hearts of many readers, who saw him grow from an orphan foal to a successful race horse, with last year’s win in the Mullumbimby Cup one of many career highlights.

Owner and local stock and station agent Kevin Cocciola decided to retire Capilano Road after having a good heart-to-heart talk with him on New Year’s Day.

 “We had lot of fun with him over the years, he’s raced in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Taree, Armidale and
Port Macquarie and his last win was in the Mullumbimby Cup in March last year,” Cocciola said.

“Since then he hasn’t really shown us that much and it was like he didn’t want to be there anymore. I went and had a talk to him on New Year’s Day and suggested he might like to retire and he thought that was a good idea.

“He’s sound as a bell, he hasn’t been over-raced in his career.

“He’s had about 40 starts, won five, had five seconds and I think three or four thirds, five fourths and a couple of fifths and the rest the ambulance beat him home.”

Given that his mother died within a week of giving birth to him, Capilano Road is lucky to be alive.
Miraculously, a lactating mare was found to act as a surrogate mother and he grew into a strapping 16-and-a-half hands chestnut gelding.

Cocciola is naturally fond of Capilano Road and is optimistic about his future as either a dressage or showjumping horse.

“He’s the first race horse that I’ve had and we’ve had a lot of fun times and it is sad that it has come to an end,” he said.

“He used to play up in the yard, and had his own personality, and that’s because we probably spoiled him when he was a foal. After he was fostered he became very strong-headed.”

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