Weekend Wisdom 26th June 2016
Late Autumn, 1976, and Just Ideal, jockey Duggan and trainer Cummings, had me for life.
The financial return was merely a positive marker, Racing had hooked me with the power of prediction!
I had begun by choosing teams to follow. Several years earlier, I had adopted St George as my Rugby League team, somehow aware of their legendary status. Similarly, Racing offered high profile players, jockeys and trainers, whose fame had seeped into my consciousness. They were famous because they were successful.
Thus originated my first “system”; past success is a predictor of future success.
I had found a means to interact with the sport of Thoroughbreds, and with this engagement I embarked on a voyage of discovery that tracked the Australian Racing Calendar. My initial heady experience of the Melbourne and Sydney Autumn Carnivals had culminated in the thrilling Easter Feature Double of Doncaster/Sydney Cup. Now I stalked my protagonists across to Adelaide for the Derby/Marlboro Plate/Adelaide Cup, thence to Brisbane where it seemed many of my newly formed acquaintances were headed.
I witnessed my 2yo pinup Vivarchi flounder against Novocastrian Romantic Dream in the feature double for youngsters; the Sires and Marlboro Stakes, Robert Thompson staking an early claim as my lifelong nemesis. I was introduced to Surround and Family Of Man, Victorian 2yos who had serious southern Spring Carnivals ahead of them, but seemed journeymen at this juncture.
Anyone who was anyone seemed to head north for the winter. My pals Leica Lover and Maybe Mahal, TJ’s Denise’s Joy, Authentic Heir and Participator and the thoroughbred headline himself, the kiwi 3yo Balmerino.
The Doomben carnival followed in July. I had earlier chosen my team of G. Cook and J. Griffiths on the basis of their previous year’s Stradbroke/ Ten Thousand double with Spedito, but the going seemed tough for the locals as Kevin Hayes’ Burwana scooped the sprint and TJ’s talented 3yo Cheyne Walk hung around to collect the cup.
I’d also not failed to miss the jumping season in full swing down south. Loch Linnie’s Grand National Steeple win carrying 71.5kg impressed me.
So ended my initial season of engagement with the turf. Many names were now familiar to me, and the horses I’d come to know in a short space of time seemed to go around far more frequently, and in more variable contests than their modern-day counterparts.
I’d had two bets, the Easter double and win/place on Just Ideal, but my eleven-year-old-self was smitten with the emotional attachment to my new family. The anticipation of weekly contests along with the arrival of promising youngsters. The Friday (and frequent Wednesdays), “who is playing for my team?” in the published fields, then hanging out to see how they fared on raceday.
Bring on my first Spring.
Dad rewarded my burgeoning racing interest with my first copy of “The Sportsman”, dated August 12, 1976, which I have to this day. I was amazed by an entire newspaper devoted to the horses, and somewhat baffled by the notations in the detailed form. Comprehension awaited me. Further I was intrigued by the advertisements for systems claiming consistently profitable results.
Spring racing was into gear by that time, and despite the prominence of the 3yo Triple Crown of Canterbury Guineas, Rosehill Guineas and Derby, preceded by the Hobartville, most media attention seemed directed toward likely Epsom Handicap aspirants. Indeed, I now note that the Sun-Herald had a 4 page Melbourne Cup style lift out, exclusively covering the Epsom, six days out!
I found myself enthralled by the relentless WFA procession towards the Melbourne spring features. It kicked off with the Freeway Stakes over 1200m on August 21st, at Flemington (Moonee Valley out of action until the Cox Plate). Week after week there was a major race for horses I’d become well acquainted with; the Liston over 1400m, the Memsie over 1600m, the Craiglee again over 1600m, the Feehan, another 1600m, the Underwood (on Show Day, a Thursday) over 1984m (remember the Caulfield abt 2000m), the Turnbull (4yos only @ special weights) over 2000m, and the Caulfield Stakes over 1984m.
The commencement of leadups with the Freeway also marked the southern return of Surround, back from 3 wins and a third in the Marlboro Stakes (now JJ Atkins) in Queensland. She cleaned up her fellow fillies down the straight and was soon to leave an indelible mark, not only on me, but Australian Turf history.
Meanwhile, one of Bart’s Sydney three-year-olds had caught my attention. His name was Bagalot, and he had easily won his two midweek assignments at Canterbury and Randwick.
My excitement was palpable, here was a clearly talented horse, from my team, set to sweep the spring clean.
The press labelled Bagalot the best 3yo in Australia, and in my naivete, I was a willing acolyte. Forty years later I pause to reflect that fillies had “quinellaed” the Blue Diamond (Out Of Danger and Desirable), Won the Slipper (Vivarchi), the VRC and AJC Sires (Desirable), and the Champagne (Vivarchi). Evidently the 3yo males were looking suspect.
So on to the much anticipated Ascot Vale, down the straight at Flemington on September 11th, 1976:
Surround (8/1) won convincingly, but, of course Bagalot (8/11) was “desperately unlucky” and would clearly make amends when they next clashed in the Moonee Valley Stakes (now the Bill Stutt), a fortnight hence.
As consolation for Bagalot’s defeat, Cummings produced another undefeated boom youngster to win on the program, Ashbah (3/1), who well and truly put away Surround’s stablemate and arch-rival Savoir (4/5).
The Moonee Valley Stakes (at Sandown), saw 3 males start shorter than Surround (7/1), but she continued her giant-killing ways, keeping Savoir (16/1) at bay, whilst my darling Bagalot (13/8) wilted into 5th. His column inches dwindling commensurately. Ah, the pain of disappointment.
September 1976 had been a tough journey for your novice enthusiast, but the year’s highlight was upon me. My bookmaker neighbour, Matt Dougherty, as reward for my stellar performance in a recent scholarship exam, promised me a trip to the local racemeeting.
Imagine my excitement as we set out for the Casino races on Epsom Day, October 2nd 1976.
As I soaked up the atmosphere of a betting ring and race broadcasts, alas, my chosen team floundered. In the AJC Derby Sir Sahib (Cummings/Duggan) finished well astern of TJ’s Great Lover, who’d been plain but hard in the market in the Canterbury and Rosehill Guineas. Then Bart won the Epsom, but I was rooting for his Cap D’antibes, not his roughie La Neige (100/1):
The twelve-length winning debut of Luskin Star in his heat of the Breeders Plate meant little to me, but I would cotton-on soon enough.
The subsequent minor events improved my mood. The Cummings-trained Apollua remained unbeaten through the Reginald Allen (then 1200m) and his promising young stayer, Ming Dynasty, then inferior to the Derby hopefuls, finished a close second in the nightcap, a Trial stakes against the older horses.
At Flemington, my new pinup, Ashbah, continued undefeated at 2000m against his own age.
But the day’s highpoint belonged to witnessing Some Idea win two races on the same programme in Brisbane.
Invigorated by my first on-course experience, and now a month of Australia’s best (rain-affected) racing lay before me.
My allegiance to Cummings meant I was none too happy when rivals TJ Smith or CS Hayes were successful, so I was slow to applaud the exploits of the Hayes-trained 4yo mare How Now. She began her winning Spring run in the Craiglee on Ascot Vale day, thence the Underwood, and now made it a trio of WFA successes in the Caulfield Stakes.
And that damn Surround was unstoppable, taking out the Caulfield Guineas in her sixth win on the trot. She was the only filly in the field and starting 3/1 was still yet to run favourite in four Melbourne spring victories. This time it was Novocastrian Romantic Dream’s turn to head the betting and flounder behind the filly who’d seemed a battler in Brisbane, but was now a freak.
I failed to register the victorious local debut of Van der Hum in the Herbert Power. He was to come back to haunt me at the climax of my first year in racing.
How Now duly ploughed through the Caulfield mud to continue her winning sequence in the Cup. I was now well versed in the phenomenon of female horses in a purple patch.
Meanwhile my team of Duggan and Cummings with Gold And Black seemed on track for the first Tuesday in November.
The Cox Plate was now a showdown between the female juggernauts, How Now (7/4) and Surround (7/2). Of course the usual suspects were lurking; TJ’s Taras Bulba, the enigmatic Denham-trained Purple Patch and old warrior Battle Heights. How Now copped early interference, while Surround raced on the speed and was never in doubt. 5 consecutive Spring wins and still yet to run favourite!
My man Higgins had his first full book for seven years, but his lone winner had me singing. Ashbah came back to a mile but streaked home around the unsuitably tight Moonee Valley course. He was all set to win next week’s Derby, then go on to the Melbourne Cup. I was grinning from ear to ear.
Enter the mixed fortunes of Derby Day 1976. Firstly, disaster:
Then, just forty minutes later, Gold And Black has his hoof on the Melbourne Cup, winning the LKS Mackinnon Stakes at 40/1, leaving How Now (11/8) trailing in his wake.
When Maybe Mahal (right stable, wrong jockey, but already an affinity) wins the Craven “A” Stakes (now the Darley) at 50/1, the tragedy of Ashbah’s failure is rendered somewhat bearable.
So on to my first cup as an eleven-year-old “expert”, or at least aficionado. I know all the horses, and mine is the one. John Duggan and I have been waiting all year to make amends for Holiday Waggon’s besting at the hands of Think Big.
The 1976 Cup field is a testament to the way things were. Horses participated in whatever was available, and they raced on, season after season. Battle Heights was lining up for his 101st start, yet had recently beaten Taras Bulba (2/11) in the Craven Plate, and won the Metropolitan the following Monday, with Taras Bulba and Gold And Black astern of him. Second in the Caulfield Cup, ninth in the Cox Plate and seventh in the Mackinnon gave the warhorse 5 starts in the month of October. The South Australian Grand Scale was the veteran of 90 starts while the Kiwi Captain Peri cracked the ton in the Cup.
Apparently the torrential rain that delayed the running of the ’76 Cup cost Gold And Black victory. Nonetheless, the finish strip shows Van Der Hum a convincing winner in the slush.
Duggan and I would have to wait another year.
Coming up, time to appoint myself a selector…
@justideal
