Gurner’s Lane is the older brother of Sovereign Red who was also sent to Geoff Murphy to train. He had been gelded after a paddock accident seemingly threatened his racing future. Named after a street in Melbourne, Gurner’s Lane was sold by Murphy to long time client, Andrew Ramsden, a future chairman of the VRC for a syndicate that he and his friend Tom Borthwick were organising along with forty members of the Australia Club in Melbourne. The syndicate paid $7500 for the gelding who was a windsucker still carrying the scar on his injured coronet.
The gelding has his first race start as a 2yo on 17 February 1981 over 1000m at Moonee Calley, surprising a few by running
