Page 34 - December 2007 The Game

34 The Game, December 2007 Shoulder To Shoulder
Canada’s Thoroughbred Racing Newspaper
Outside the Borders
with Nigel Griffith
Down under, on the Saturday before the
Tuesday spectacular of one of the worlds greatest races,
the C$4.35million Emirates Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, old perennial Bart Cummings took the A$750,000 12f Gr1 Mackinnon with Simione. Understandably his price for the big one immediately collapsed and punters had to settle for $8 rather than the $81 before the victory and a question mark hung over whether he would stay the 2mile trip. Placed horse Zipping ran an eye-catching race and was the subject of a single A$50,000 bet for the Cup. There were also notable bets for Caul eld Cup winner Master O’Reilly, with one bet of A$100,000
at $5.50, Simione taking a bet to win A$1million, Euro hopefuls Purple Moon and Mahler extremely well supported and Ef cient out to land one punter A$300,000 at 20/1.
My body crackled with tension as I strode into the lm room. The day before, I’d ridden Pat And Turn to a game third. Gonzales Prosper had screamed at me at the head of the stretch but I was just as determined as he was to get a good position. After the race, the stewards took my number down.
Still in shock, I didn’t trust my judgement enough to argue with either point.
It seemed anyone who got within ve lengths of the notorious Pat And Turn would scream foul. Today, I was ready to battle this one to the bitter end. When a jock drives up into a hole that isn’t there, it’s an invitation for trouble.
It felt like an impossible situation. To take the stewards’ advice felt like an admission of defeat. If I rode the horse again, the pressure would be too much. And yet it would be nearly impossible to nd another jockey, however experienced, who could give this horse the ride that I could.
As dif cult as this horse could be, he was brilliant. In four races we’d had 2 wins and
2 thirds. Our rst spot of trouble came when
Pat And Turn bolted from the one hole to the
six hole coming out of the gate. That was a legitimate disquali cation. The next race had been an uncomplicated win. In our third outing, we were shut off and Pat dropped to his knees. Only his amazing athletic ability got him back on his feet. With erce determination, he circled the eld to win.
Bobby Venezia didn’t make my dilemma any easier. He wanted me back on the horse and promised not to enter any of his other horses
if I got another suspension. I couldn’t fault his loyalty but there were many holes in his logic.
I convinced him to try someone else and when Pat And Turn went to the gate for his fth race, Joe Spinelli was in the saddle. Joe was an older jockey with many years of experience but it soon became apparent he wasn’t the best choice. After an awkward break, Pat turned on the burners.
Also booking his spot for the Tuesday was the NZ stayer Sculptor. Leading NZ jockey Lisa Cropp worked hard to get his head in front on the line to take the Saab Quality.
In yesterday’s race, Prosper claimed interference. I didn’t want to feel victimized but I’d heard mutterings about how that woman couldn’t handle the horse. The burden of the gender issue lay heavily across my shoulders.
I watched Joe quickly gaining on the eld but suddenly, he yanked the horse out into the middle of the racetrack and stayed there for the rest of the race.
They may prep their horses in a way that would raise eyebrows here, but there’s no denying that the Aussies know their horses. After winning the coveted Victoria Derby last year, the grey Ef cient had shown little since, so to ‘wake him up’, the blinkers came off and he was given an eye opener over some hurdles on the Monday prior, a hard workout the following day and then again over hurdles on the Wednesday, then onto the big one.
A Head at the Wire
A Series of Real Life Stories by Paddy Head
Films started and I sat bolt upright in my chair, rigid, poised for a ght. The pan shot rolled and I watched the break from the gate. Flying out of the 8 hole, Pat made the best break of his career, getting up within rally- ing distance. All went smoothly as I angled within one horse of the rail and proceeded down the backstretch and around the turn. The horse on the inside of me faded and I encouraged Pat with a vigorous hand ride. Prosper tried to pass on the inside. Suddenly, he stood up in the irons.
The 100,000 crowd, basking in the glorious sunshine
at the Australian track, watched as the eld was taken
along at an honest pace by Euro raider Tungsten Strike
with Ef cient settled well towards the rear of the 21 horse eld. Turning for home the 3yo Irish stayer Mahler took up the running and showed great spirit when he came under strong pressure down the home straight as the heav- ily backed fellow raider Purple Moon came alongsides, looking the likely winner as he strode out for the line under a perfect Damien Oliver ride. But as many cheered for his victory, down the outside like a runaway express train came Ef cient, driven for all he was worth by young jockey Michael Rodd and the combination powered by in the shadow of the line for a half length victory. Mahler stayed on resolutely for third and Zipping claimed fourth. Then the celebrations started in true Aussie fashion!! Both Ef cient and Zipping were out on the beach the following morning and the plan to send Zipping out again paid off with a recent victory in the Gr2 Sandown Classic.
He was grandstanding, I was sure of it.
I crouched forward as the head-on began. This would show clearly that there wasn’t enough room for him to pass. Coming into the stretch, the horse directly inside of me tired and be-
gan drifting out as he faded from contention, giving Prosper dead aim on the rail. As I rode Pat vigorously, he suddenly dropped in and closed the gap. Prosper stood up and pulled his horse away from our heels.
I suspected it was more Pat’s reputation that caused Joe’s unorthodox ride rather than the horse’s actual behaviour. I knew in my heart that Pat And Turn wasn’t a rogue. He may have been unpredictable in his lateral movements but he wasn’t about to run up anyone’s heels.
Ef cient’s victory means the son of Zabeel equals the feat by the legendary Phar Lap, in winning the Victoria Derby and then taking the Melbourne Cup the following year.
I was stunned. I couldn’t believe what I’d just seen. The head-on began again and I watched in horror as the scene repeated itself. There was no mistake—I’d shut him off.
I challenged fellow Canadian, Wayne Swat- man, to match my record on the horse. He accept- ed. A commotion in the gate caused him to break last but once out of the gate, Wayne rode the most determined race of his career. He gained inches with every stride on the sloppy track and crept up on the eld to win by a muddy nose.
Top class mares do not always prove successful in
the paddock, so all eyes will be on a leggy colt with a
white face and three white ankles, which was foaled early one morning recently in Australia. That huge national favourite Makybe Diva, winner of three successive Melbourne Cups, gave birth to the foal by sire Galileo and in doing so, he automatically gains instant recognition and a probable C$5.2million price tag. Plans are for her to visit Fusaichi Pegasus. Talking of good mares, hurdling queen, Lady Rebecca has a grand looking 4yo daughter in train- ing with Kim Bailey in the UK, so it will be interesting to see if she emulates her mother, she certainly looks the part. Also starting a new career is the South African Gr1 winning mare Irridescence, she visits Empire Maker, who stands for US$100,000 at Juddemonte Farms in Kentucky.
The rug was pulled out from under me and every ounce of ght evaporated. The rest of the lms were a blur and soon I found myself in
the hallway with the Guild representative, John Giovanni. John’s expression was neutral as he asked me if there was anything I wanted him to say in my defense. I was too stunned to speak and just shook my head.
The celebration in the winner’s circle was short lived. A claiming tag was snapped onto Pat’s halter and I watched with mixed emotions as his new owner led him away.
This wasn’t just a jockey error, this was a woman jockey error. Every mistake I made
was another reason why women weren’t strong enough, smart enough, agile enough. I felt like I had let the entire female gender down.
Within the week, an article in a horse magazine caught my interest. The main feature was about the horses of New Mexico, the state where Pat And Turn had been bred. I was informed that this state is famous for breeding Thoroughbred polo ponies. In the picture were two horses turning, shoulder to shoulder, in an attempt to reach the ball.
In the UK, the flat season has now come to a
conclusion and the jockey’s championship nally ended in a tie between Seb Sanders and Jamie Spencer on 190 winners.
When we walked in, the stewards told me I had a ve day suspension. Dave Hicks, the head steward, pointed out that this was the second offense on this horse. He suggested that I tell Bobby Venezia to put another rider on next time.
Suddenly, it all made sense. Pat And Turn.
Leading racehorse trainer Venetia Williams was banned from driving for 42 days after being clocked at 176kph, while fellow trainer Sir Mark Prescott pleaded not guilty to four charges involving hare coursing last March.
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