The Magic Millions Extrazaganza is over for another year, despite a major drama which saw the Guineas race put back an hour and a half after the unbeaten Sydney Bowler was cast under the starting barrier for a seeming eternity.
The barriers were dismantled to free the horse and fortunately, it is okay.
Great to see Rob Heathcote eventually win the $3m race with Abounding – after taking Rothfire to Toowoomba to win the King of the Mountain.
A really decent horse, Storm Boy, the Waterhouse Bott runner, won the big two-year-old race. He should go on with it and make a serious horse. Gai had three winners on the day. The rest of the winners on the card are no champions.
The Harveys pocketed $220 million from the 1000-odd horses sold. Sure beats selling fridges and TVs.
The thing that caught my eye on the day was that arguably the greatest composer of the last 100 years Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber had a first-up winner in Too Darn Lizzie.
Despite my failing hearing and increasing age I’m sure that Mick Price is running media courses for other trainers. For a while I thought his takeout “thank you“ was copied by his co-trainer Michael Kent junior. Now strike me roan, Joe Pride and James Cummings have the same clipped pitch sign
off. Either Mick’s a star, or the other trainers are taking the Micky .
The Warwick Jockey Club managed to pull off a successful eight race program on Monday. As always there were a lot of visiting trainers and jockeys, and 120 starters. A big crowd was in attendance, aided by the last week of the school holidays.
There have been some other significant retirees this spring from the thoroughbred ranks. Nature Strip, with nine Group Ones and $20M win in the coffers, the nine-year-old will spend his later years with the lovely Kathy O’Hara as he looks at another career in showjumping.
The 2020 Everest winner Classique Legend will be spending his latter years with Kerrin McEvoy out on the farm and the popular Zoutori (8 wins for $2 million which included a 20/1 win in the Newmarket Handicap) has been handed to the care of his strapper and track rider Jadey.
Another lovely story for the New Year is Incentivise, who is now retiring to Yarraman Park. His new role is being a “nanny” to the new foals that are born. He joins a list of geldings finished with their racing careers and undertaking new ones. It is a joy to watch these older boys with the new foals and
sure does bring a tear to the eye of the Old Coat Tugger.
As these many “retirees” depart for a quieter life, they make way for a new crop of champions to secure our interest, hearts and a flew flutters on the punt.
Irish jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle is heading back to his homeland, where he was the two-time champion apprentice. Dylan has always wanted to be a jockey. He credits his winning ability to the Pony Racing held in Ireland saying it gives the Irish jockeys a great advantage.
He rode eleven winners while he was here including his last ride. Hopefully he will be back again.
Blake Shin and James McDonald will have a little stint across the ditch to ride in the Karaka millions on 27 January. That’s a turn up for the books, with the Kiwis normally headed our way.
And good news for Brisbane racing with Godolphin now with a permanent base at Eagle Farm, having taken over retired trainer Barry Baldwin’s former stables. They now have 15 boxes on course. In the three weeks since they moved in they have produced four metropolitan winners.
This one is worth mentioning: the South African rider Warren Kennedy, know as the Wizard of Waz, rode seven winners including a group one winner in New Zealand on New Year’s Day at Pukekohe. I can’t remember a jockey doing that previously. He sure is a wiz in the saddle!
Paddy and Mick were at a friend’s wedding. As the priest reached the vows for the Bride and Groom. Mick leaned across to Paddy. “How many wives can a man have Paddy?” Paddy leaned into Mick, “oh Mick, maths never was your best subject. A man can have sixteen – four better, four worse, four richer and four poorer.”
