MY CALL - MANIKATO STILL SHINES BRIGHTEST IN A LIST OF STARS WHEN AN IN-DEPTH COMPARISON IS MADE
By David Fowler | Tuesday, November 12, 2013
David Fowler is the principal thoroughbred caller for Radio TAB. David, who is a keen form student and punter, has enjoyed a lifetime involvement in the racing media. His personal blog, ‘My Call’, appears exclusively on HRO.
When Bufffering claimed his second Group One, I offered a thought to myself and myself only.
Lucky I did.
Could Buffering be compared to the immortal Manikato?
Well he could but he would run a very long second, and that's no disrespect to Buffering.
Time fades our memories so I decided to research Manikato's record and, wow, will any horse ever get close to his achievements.
And, yes, you can throw in Black Caviar.
This exercise is significant for younger readers who will fiercely declare Black Caviar as the champion sprinter of modern times and being unbeaten lends genuine weight to that theory.
But is being unbeaten, the be all and end all?
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Manikato raced over seven seasons and injury DID prevail. Yet a bleeding attack, a heart attack and tendon problems later in life failed to punctuate his stellar career.
He assumed champion juvenile status with the Golden Slipper-Blue Diamond double.
But his three-year-old term was extraordinary.
These days a Caulfield Guineas victory is considered a Grand Final of sorts and a defining race. He won that but seven others as well.
The Ascot Vale and Marlboro Cup prefaced the Guineas triumph and he went on to win the William Reid, Orr, Futurity, George Ryder and Rothman's 100,000. Not bad!
And then season after season he was dominant in Melbourne and Sydney, possibly shining brighter in the autumn than the spring.
He snatched five William Reids, four Futurities, three Orrs and two George Ryders.
Racing from 1000m to 2000m, his second to Dulcify in the 1979 Australian Cup was one of his bravest performances.
So Buffering is no Manikato but does Black Caviar deserve to stand ahead of Manikato when it's time for judge and jury?
I genuinely doubt it.
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Buffering is, and will be remembered, as the people's champion.
His will-to-win and bulldog style secures his popularity across borders.
He lived in Black Caviar's shadow but now it's his time in the limelight and it's a delight to see.
While he is a 1000m to 1200m specialist, there is no reason he can't extend his winning habit to 1400m at weight-for-age, controlling tempos against opposition who may be looking further down the track.
Nevertheless, the Winterbottom at Ascot on Saturday week is the next target and after that, well, all concerned are sitting in a very cosy place.
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I didn't know Desiree Gill personally but that doesn't stop the emotion that was felt when learning of her passing at the weekend
That's the thing about the racing industry whether it's Brisbane, Queensland or nationwide, it's tight-knit in good and bad times.
By bad times I mean squabbling and politicking and we've seen plenty of that.
Good times is when we join forces to celebrate triumph and our capacity to band together and unite to handle tragedy has always been a credit to the industry.
Desiree had fought plenty of rounds on the racetrack and bounced back … but not this time.
Her efforts on and off the track will be forever remembered.
Until next week
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