ROB'S SHOUT - TRUE FRIENDS ARE TO TO BE CHERISHED AND EMBRACED AND REUNIONS ARE A SPECIAL TIME
By Robert Heathcote | Thursday, May 2, 2013
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, workload permitting.
Whilst last Saturday was not the ‘Official’ start of the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival, it sure felt like it to me … and I was 3000km away in one of the world’s most beautiful places, Queenstown New Zealand.
It was always going to be a decision I was going to agonise over whether to miss the Victory Stakes Day, where Buffering was going for his third consecutive win in the race and my stable had about 10 runners, or head over the ditch to join 140 others who I worked with on Contiki Holidays in Europe back in the early 80s.
That was an experience of a lifetime and changed my life!
I kinda figure you only live once and true friends are to be cherished and embraced and reunions are always a special time. I can tell you though that a good contingent of us gave an almighty cheer when Buffering surged away from the field at the 200m mark for an emphatic and decisive win.
It was truly a special moment for Vicky and I to share such a win with special friends from a lifetime ago.
The best man at our wedding, Pierre, was there as well as my former bosses and the legendary John ‘Muff’ Graham who has one of the best ‘track’ records Europe has ever seen!
It is amazing, to be honest, how life-consuming the racing industry can be and as I write this, 30,000 feet in the air as we wing it back home to Brisbane, I know we have made the right call to share the special time and win of Buffering with lifelong friends as I will get to race again next week, but it will be many years before I get to see so many friends again.
Mind you, do you think I will give the winning DVD from Buffering’s win a good workout when I get home. I only got to see the win once and then they shot off to a trotting race at Gore!
**********************************************************************************************
How good a win was that though?
Buffering got well softened up by Cassidy on Listen Son as we expected him to and Buff’s class just shone through in the end.
Ten out of ten for Brownie’s ride as well … although he did consider pulling out of the hectic tempo at one stage. I was never worried as I believed in my heart I had the horse as near to as good as he could be first up.
Nice to get one over Cassidy and my colleague Tony Gollan but, rest assured, the square up may come down the track somewhere.
That’s racing, simple as that. The win was sweet though … pure honey!
**********************************************************************************************
It is now a tense nine days to go until we line up in the Group 1 BTC cup.
This was the race last year where Buff picked up a stone bruise on race eve as the short-priced favourite. A touch of dejavu again as he’s probably going to line up as the ‘jolly’, but we will make certain we sweep the path where-ever he walks to ensure he doesn’t get another stone bruise.
Of course, there is never any guarantee of that not happening but we do take all precautions.
Yeah, I still get nervous and the week leading up to the G1 is sure to be a stressful one!
**********************************************************************************************
Buffering now heads onto the BTC Cup in two weeks and then after that, the Doomben 10,000 and then onto the Stradbroke.
He is a deserved Group 1 horse with five Group 2 wins under his belt now and a number of Group 1 placing’s so if there is a racing God … please heed our prayers!
No doubt the tactics going into the BTC Cup sprint will again be a contentious issue. No doubt Cassidy’s ‘job’ in the Victory Stakes was to try and bring Buffering down.
I also have no question that this is what happened in last year’s Stradbroke when three senior riders rode aggressively to keep Buffering deep and lessened their own chances of winning.
Buffering was still good enough to lump the top weight and run second place.
Rain Affair is heading North and he likes to lead so there may well be fireworks again up front in the upcoming Group 1s.
It’s a contentious issue though!
**********************************************************************************************
It had been a pretty frustrating race day for the stable up until Buffering’s win with a number of placing’s but a win, three seconds, a third and a couple of top runs into sixth place did make it an very good day.
It is just great to get back on top of the ground with so many horses. It allows the horses to run up to their best form and for the punters more chance of accurately assess the form, not that that is ever an easy undertaking.
Some great racing last Saturday, but the story which has the racing world abuzz is the Gai / Singo bust up!
Wow, that is big news although fair to say the seeds of discontent were firmly planted with the famous Cox Plate barrier draw blow-up last spring!
That has to have been eating away at Singo and, for sure, the old saying must have rung true, ‘I will forgive but I will never forget’.
I reckon this was the straw that broke the camel’s back … whoops. More Joyous ain’t no Camel!
There has been plenty of speculation in the media and it is a certainty that the upcoming stewards enquiry is sure to be tense, to say the least, not to mention … great drama!
**********************************************************************************************
Yes, two high profile racing identities will always be the focus of the media but disagreements between owners and trainers is not a new thing in racing.
Everyone has an opinion and at the end of the day the person ‘paying the bills’ should have the final say.
In this particular case though I think focus is more centred on concerns of any possible conflict of interest with Gai’s husband and son being two of the leading layers in the country and what their knowledge, if any, was of More Joyous being ‘OFF’ for the race … if, in fact, that was ever the case.
As a trainer, it’s always imperative to allow input from owners and conversely I hope they take on board the professional advice which is given by me. It’s a mutual thing as it should be.
No one ever wins from the old … ’I told you so’ scenario after a race, but it does happen at times.
**********************************************************************************************
Often we have to ‘experiment’ with horses over class and distances and riding tactics and it’s always important that communication is paramount between the owner and the trainer.
I think this is what may have pissed Singo off.
He might have been left out of the loop, or at least, that’s what he thinks … with perhaps a lack of communication … and remember, he pays the bills so he can take his bat and ball and go home if he so pleases.
I don’t for one minute think Gai was deliberately misleading John and for sure if I had to tell every owner about every single issue with a horse in its daily life I would forever be on the phone.
The personal vet of Singo did clear the horse the day before so whatever comes from this, it’s not hard to make a case on either side.
A shame really and It is sure to be the hottest racing story of the week. A shame because the stars of the turf should be taking centre stage and not the all of this ‘other’ stuff!
The reality though is that racing. Is always full of drama and I bet ya love it!
**********************************************************************************************
The focus on racing now shifts to the Gold Coast where we have the running of the time honoured Hollindale Stakes at Group level and the Prime Ministers Cup.
My stable will have several runners on the day which always makes me feel queezy in the stomach as my record on the Bundall track is anything but impressive. I don’t know if it’s the track itself or having to go 10 rounds with David on the enclosure gate just to get into the enclosure.
Fair dinkum, this bloke wouldn’t let the Queen in unless she had the correct pass. Ask him, he will tell you he is the best in the land!
Anyway, Solzhenitsyn is facing an enormous hurdle this week. Third-up into a gruelling WFA 1800m race is sure to test him.
I have been very happy with where I have him but fair to say this is also a bit experimental. I have always believed he would be a top middle distance horse but until they do it on the race track of dreams, you just never know.
It is a real quality field and, whilst it will always rankle with many, the prize money boost from the RQ administrators is the reason why it is such a quality field.
It is a hot topic I know, boosting prize-money for the feature races or sharing it around among the ‘masses’!
That’s a topic for another day I am afraid.
Some great local racing ahead for us as we get into the Winter Racing Carnival.
As usual, take care and good health.
Robert
More articles
|