ROB'S SHOUT - BACK, REFRESHED AND READY TO GO
By Robert Heathcote | Thursday, July 26, 2012
Robert Heathcote is the leading racehorse trainer in Brisbane. 'Rob's Shout' - the personal blog of the multi-premiership and Group 1 winning trainer will appear every Thursday on HRO.
Today's blog marks the start of Rob's third year as an exclusive blogger for HRO.
Hello again,
If ever I needed confirmation that time does indeed fly when you are having fun, well this past month proved that to me. I have just returned from an overseas holiday with my family and we all had a great time but now I am home and I look back...wow, where did that 25 days go?
Our travels took us to many places from Singapore, Dubai, Italy, Switzerland, France and finally the UK.
It wasn't all just holiday as I also used a part of the trip to do some homework with a possible view to maybe travelling again in the future with a horse which would certainly be a thrill … and of course I am referring to Buffering.
I took the opportunity of visiting Kranji racecourse in Singapore and leading trainer Steven Burridge was great giving me a thorough tour of the track and the training and stabling facilities there.
Kranji is the home of the million dollar International sprint race called the Kris Flyer which is held there each June.
From Kranji, we stopped in the United Arab Emirates to visit good friends, Michael and Christine Ryan who incidentally bred my duel Ipswich cup winner in Our Lukas, Tiger Tees and the current star of Singapore racing in Super Easy who's won 11 on the trot!
The stop in Dubai also gave me the opportunity to get to know the facilities at Meydan race track.
Wow, talk about an impressive set up! The Meydan racecourse grandstand is simply amazing. About a kilometre long and fantastic views over the racecourse and ultra modern facilities.
No expense was spared in building this place and whilst it may not get used all that regularly, I can only imagine what a spectacle the Dubai World Cup evening must be and what a thrill it must have been for Paul Messara to have recently won the Al Quoz Sprint with Ortensia!
Former Aussies, Tracy Gil who is the International Liaison and head Quarantine officer, John Nicholls were extremely helpful in giving me a complete tour of the facilities in case we do indeed take Buffering for a trip away? He showed me where Sepoy and Helmut stayed … as well as Ortensia!
I was pleased John’s car was air conditioned. It was only 45 degrees outside whilst we toured around.
I am not so sure I was all that taken with the Tapeta synthetic track? Very wet and sticky but that may have been from the extreme heat of the Arabian summer!
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Talk about a contrast in racing experiences with my visits to the next two racetracks.
I may have missed Royal Ascot by a week or so but I did manage to get to Newmarket for the running of the Darley July Cup on the famous Rowley mile racetrack.
What a shame about the weather as the UK has in fact had the wettest summer on record. Something we here in Queensland know all about so hopefully the weather turns in time for the Olympics which are starting this week.
I was hoping that Black Caviar may well have been racing, but its history now that Peter pulled the pin and she was immediately in quarantine after her thrilling Diamond Jubilee win.
Still, the Aussies were indeed well represented with Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Sepoy running and Ortensia. A real shame the weather was so miserable with persistent rain, albeit light but trudging around the racecourse in the mud was no fun. The ground was just so sodden and little wonder the horses ran about 1.16 for the six furlongs.
I must admit to having a chuckle at the poms in all their finery coping with the rain and the mud underfoot! The betting room was a challenge just to put a bet on let
alone find a winner!
Mayson bolted in the July Cup for trainer Richard Fahey. The outsider was ridden by Paul Hanagan, who is retained as the stable rider by Sheikh Hamdan ... so he certainly gets plenty of winning opportunities, but maybe not so many at the highest level?
As he said after the win in his interview, "typical of the ups and downs of this game and I have been in the game long enough now to deal with it. Last week I was being stretchered off and this week it is the July Cup - you can soon get brought back down with earth with a bump - literally"!
He did seem to be a popular winner even if his mount was a bit of a roughie.
I managed to have a glass or two of champagne with Griffons owners, Wilf and Rosemary who were there and also a couple of other clients of mine and a few other Aussies said hello as I walked around the course … so it is indeed a small world in the racing fraternity.
I can’t say I was totally over the moon with the transport arrangements in place to get away with long wait for the train to Cambridge and then back to London, but that's another story. I see where London has just about ground to a halt on the roads, but that does not surprise me in the least. It sure has not got any better from when I lived there 20 years ago!
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What a contrast it was for me going from the Darley July Cup in Newmarket England one week to the St George Cup, Queensland the next.
I can honestly say though that I probably had far more pleasure out of the visit to St George, some 500kms west of Brisbane. The town has been smashed with the Balonne river flooding several times the past few years. The visit was a fantastic initiative as part of the 'city meets the bush program’.
Congratulations to the organisers of what was a great day. I met a few locals and they were chuffed to host us for the day!
The BRC were tireless in their help and the local community turned out in their finery to enjoy a great day’s racing. I think the bookies ring at St George saw more action than I witnessed at Newmarket.
It was great to see the support of many prominent racing people. Those who attended included the racing minister, Steve Dixon, and the Racing Queensland Chairman Kevin Dixon as well as the BRC CEO Steve Ferguson, who was instrumental in bringing the initiative together, and the Chairman of the Gold Coast Turf Club, Brett Cook. All clearly enjoyed the wonderful day.
Like I said earlier, the racing industry is a small fraternity and it's important we come together in some trying times such as St George has experienced. Quite a few dollars were raised for the local community so again, well done to all involved!
Of course there will always be the usual knockers … which is probably the saddest aspect currently in this industry. Sure, the industry has its economic woes but continual bagging and criticising achieves very little! Anyway, I wouldn't be an administrator for quids with the narks in this industry!
The Cup was a very popular win for Pat Webster', Shakes, ridden by the claiming apprentice, Scott McCullum and I have no doubt that would have felt like a Group 1 win to the youngster.
I also had a chuckle when I saw the breeding of the horses lined up for the local cup. I could have been mistaken thinking it was the July Cup field from Newmarket with sires such as Anabaa, Rock of Gibraltar, Redoutes Choice, Fantastic Light, Pins and Show A Heart represented with runners!
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I have certainly seen my share of planes, trains and automobiles this past month but it's been a great holiday but now I am back and ready to get stuck into it again as the dawn of a new racing season is just about upon us.
You want another old adage that's true, 'there ain’t no place like home' and I am bloody happy to be back! It should be mandatory for all Australians to have a trip overseas and they may then realise just how lucky we actually are.
Yes, it is still the lucky country in my eyes!
I want to thank the great job my staff did in my absence with a number of winners to top off what a great year it has been for the stable! Melissa and Mikey make it possible for me to have an enjoyable break and I am very appreciative of that!
I would like also to take this opportunity as the racing season comes to a close to congratulate the feats of Chris Munce on what has been a stellar season for the hard working hoop. Wow, a hundred metro winners for the year. That’s a super achievement.
John Thompson and his Patinack crew have also had a great year, pushing me all the way to the wire in the premiership race and I am sure they are gonna be the front-runners for most of upcoming season, if not wire to wire. I was delighted to see John and Lofty win the group 1 with Pear Tart to top off the year for the team. Good people!
Kelso Wood has had a great year with an unbelievable winning strike rate which shows what a patient and astute conditioner he is and I was very happy to join the Group 1 club with my buddy, The T Bar kid from Toowoomba winning with Temple Of Boom, who incidentally has just joined the training ranks at Eagle Farm. Take a tip from me. Big Tony Gollan is in for a big year, he is building up a very nice team of horses.
So, it's going to be a quiet end of year for my stable with only the one runner, and a pensioner at that, in Eureka as my stable is in a bit of a building phase with a lot of new, young horses about to hit the race tracks.
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I want to finish my blog my week with a dedication to a long and dear friend who sadly passed away recently while we were away.
Val Smart was more than a friend to Vicky and I. She was part of our family, a grandmother to our kids who was always there with a smile and a laugh.
Val loved her racing and no one cheered home a Heathcote winner louder or with more enthusiasm than Val.
She will be sadly missed, but we embrace the fact that Val did have a very full and happy life and she laughed long and loud!
Until next week … cheers for now.
Robert
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