THE MON MEKKI WIN (2002): THE DAY A YOUNG APPRENTICE WROTE HIS NAME INTO QUEENSLAND OAKS HISTORY

By Paul Hammersley | Friday, June 2, 2017

Fifteen years ago a young apprentice named Paul Hammersley won the 2002, Group 1 Queensland Oaks on the Gerald Ryan trained Mon Mekki. Hammersley, who was eighteen at the time, remains the only apprentice to have won the Oaks and he relives his moment of Group 1 glory here in a conversation with HRO.

I rode Mon Mekki a lot through her career. The Oaks was her eleventh start and I had been on her five times at that stage. I’d won a Class 1 and a Class 3 on her (over 1200m and 1300m respectively) at the start of the prep that led up to the Oaks.

During that prep I remember she was a real handful and not many people got along with her ... but for some reason I did. I remember riding her in a jump out and obviously also doing a lot of track-work with her and then in a race and, yeah I just seemed to get on with her better than others did.

Nobody ever said to me she was heading for the Oaks and you’ll be on her sort of thing, but after I’d had those couple of wins on her she went to town in a Class 6 over 1600m ... Stephen King rode her ... and she tailed off last.

So they put me back on her next start and we finished second to National Treasure over 2225m at Eagle Farm in the run before the Oaks. There was only a length in that result but National Treasure, who was trained by Gai Waterhouse, went on to start a $4 favourite in the Oaks while we started at 50-1.

As we got closer towards the Oaks they said you’re riding her. I was stoked. It was great. I was never promised a ride in the Oaks if she got there or anything like that but somehow along the way I think she became my horse and suddenly we were getting ready to tackle a Group 1.

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I was very nervous ... that’s putting it politely.

All week there were a couple of news articles and stuff so the excitement built up throughout the week.

I was nervous but pretty confident that we would give a good showing.

I got along with the horse so I didn’t anticipate any problems there. I knew what sectionals she could run and I thought if I had a pretty good run in transit she would be somewhere in the finish.

I thought she would give me a nice run and finish in the first five.

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I can’t remember the start of the race that well but I do remember going to the half mile behind Noel Doyle’s horse Palidamah, who was in the betting at $7, and thinking I am going to get a good run into this race.

They just sort of peeled off from the half mile to the 600m. The gaps just opened. I was towards the outside and she whooshed down the outside and finished off very well.

When I got to the furlong I thought, I’m going to win this. You know you think you’ve got a chance but then when you pass the pass first and become a Group 1 winning rider at that age suddenly you just can’t believe it.

There really was a period of disbelief. It didn’t sink in until maybe the next day.

My mom and dad were at the track and I definitely shed a tear.

There was no immediate celebration though because I had to go up to Toowoomba that night to ride a maiden and the guy I was riding for ... he was a good friend of mine ... he was leaving messages for me saying you better come up here and ride you bastard.

So that day I won a Group 1 on an $80-1 pop on the tote and then I went to Toowoomba and got beat on a $1.20 pop in a Maiden.

But even at Toowoomba, where the horse got beat and it was freezing cold, you still couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.

I have several highlights since then. I think I have had five Group wins all up ... a couple of Group 2’s and a couple of Group 3’s ... but no more Group 1’s ... yet.

I think the second one fifteen plus years later will be sweeter!

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