RACING

REDCOATS LEAD OWNERS REVOLUTION

 When highly talented galloper Red Ora heads into battle at Ascot or Belmont Park, he is always accompanied by an army of redcoats – in fact as many recoats as you will see in a concentrated area since that famous march through the region of Lexington and Concord.

It was this march that triggered the American Revolutionary War of 1775-83, as Paul Revere galloped through the dark New England night aboard Brown Beauty, and into the pages of history. Revere was, of course, out to warn his countrymen of the coming of the red jacketed British patrols, who were attempting to prevent him, and others, from alerting the countryside.

Now 240 years later, here on the major thoroughbred battlefields of WA, you will witness the modern day version of redcoats.

This is an army of red jacketed loyalists who move to an entirely different beat. These redcoats are there to exuberantly cheer on their prolific winning horse Red Ora and star jockey William Pike. As courageous a ride as it obviously was by Revere, and an exceptional weight carrying performance by poor Brown Beauty, it’s fair to assume that they didn’t receive a standing ovation like Red Ora and Pike when they reached the finishing line!

Like the British redcoats of 1775, the Aquinas College class of 1975 may lack experience, but at least they’ve enjoyed far greater success in their mission to become winning racehorse owners.

Like any great army, they ensure that they are always suitably uniformed in the red and black colours of their old school when they gather at the track and prepare for the redcoat war cry.

Breeder Gray Williamson was one of those in the class of ’75 – 1975 that is and not 1775!

It was Williamson, no stranger to horse racing success, who prevailed on his former classmates to join him in the world of racing and to experience a ride that has been every bit as exhilarating as Revere’s.

The racehorse breeder got his old schoolmates away to a flying start, as the horse he selected for them won its first five races straight. For many of the first time owner’s in the syndicate it was too good to be true.

The aim of these Old Aquinians was to simply have a bit fun and to socialise at whatever track Red Ora took them.

After the geldings fifth win in a row, Williamson laconically quipped, “now they are complaining they haven’t got any further than Ascot.”

When he added that he had never before raced a horse that had won its first five races, one of the red and black blighters quipped back, “and I’ve never had a horse that has not won five straight.”

Such was the confidence of the ‘red coated army’ in those heady early days with Red Ora. The galloper has now won seven times in his 12 start career (that includes two seconds and a third) for trainer Dan Morton.

Indeed, it was then interesting to be surrounded by Aquinians again. The last time it occurred, I was bursting into packs of them in Alcock Cup matches throughout 1965 when, as full back for Christ Church, it was my job to stop these barbarians-and their full forward Phil Mulcahy. They are still just as bumptious as ever!

Now here I was again- ‘doing a Dermott Brereton’ and weaving through another red and black throng of whirling dervishes, just like the Hawthorn legend.

‘Williamson’s Wonders’ epitomise the fun of racing and show the wisdom of having an astute judge to guide novice owners.

Originally passed in at the 2013 Magic Million Sales, Williamson substituted the galloper for one who didn’t ‘cut the mustard’ owing to fetlock problems.

The idea of the redcoats came from menswear retailer Mick O’Brien who decided to wear one from his shop’s range.

“Well that was it – then they all wanted one” he said of his marketing tour de force.

That is why, with a 32 strong group, the redcoats are a very visible force on race day supporting Red Ora, who resumes racing in January.

The redcoats eventually got to a country track, when the ventured to this year’s famous Kalgoorlie race round.

Red Ora, at his last run before going for a spell, flashed home from near last to run a neck third in the Hannan’s Handicap - a certainty beaten. He may well be one to watch in the Railway Stakes next year.

The syndicate now have another galloper, also a $20,000 purchase, called Red Hot Wind, a strong willed three-year-old who is expected to debut in March.

“There is no doubt racing has brought us together in a special way, particularly the wives who love frocking up for the occasion and we have 40 members in the new horse,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien is quick to see the irony in the fact that the idea to socialise at country race venues has led to regular trips to Perth for many, such has been the success of Red Ora. Some of the large group come from country areas as diverse as Borden, Corrigin, Hyden, Gingin, Dumbleyung, Scaddan, Wandering and Margaret River.

Gray’s wife, Jan, an integral part of the Mungrup Stud operation, made the point that orphan foals, like Red Ora, can often be tougher. “He was given milk four times a day from a bucket after losing his mum, Friartriar, as well as food supplement. Being around humans made him quiet and friendly and he was not hot headed like some Due Sasso youngsters.”

Jan Williamson’s point about orphans being tough has some historical basis. The 1961 Kalgoorle Cup winner, Maranalgo (Kingsley-Zawingie) lost his mother almost immediately when she got into the feed shed and gorged herself in an oat-eating spree.

The Ted McAuliffe trained bay went on to win some 12 races in his 72 start career, from 1957-64. He went to Kalgoorlie overnight, in 1961, arriving at breakfast time before going on to win the premier Goldfields race, the same day, ridden by Frank Treen.

Yet the interesting aspect of these two gallopers is not the similarity between them but the contrast in ownership models.

In Maranalgo’s time racing was mainly the preserve of wealthy independent owners. His owner, Albert Butler was one of many pastoralists in the game and he was the son of a transported poacher sent to WA on the last transport ship Hougoumont (arriving in January 1868). Albert, who started life as dingo hunter and trapper, ended up owning Maranalgo Station (near Payne’s Find) and Wee Maranalgo, just out of Armadale.

Interestingly, the genial, and ultimately wealthy, Albert was also an original Anzac, landing at Gallipoli on the first day of the eight month conflict that came to define Australia. He was twice wounded and returned to Australia at the end of 1915.

While there will always be single and dual owners the rise of syndications has allowed more people to race horses and to spread their interests over more than one at a time.

If Mick O’Brien is a good marketer of coats, trainer Dan Morton is doing equally as well appealing to new racehorse owners. Apart from the ‘boys syndicate’ he has attracted a very good ‘girls syndicate’ of owners with classy three-year-old Man Booker, last months Group 2 WA Guineas winner, complete with a female jockey riding their first horse.  Apprentice Jerry Noske, is the first female rider to ever win the Guineas as she also was in winning this year’s Kalgoorlie Cup aboard Woodsville, trained by her father, Jeff.

The two Morton syndicates had a BBQ together at Ascot, early in the new season. It resembled a gathering of allied forces.

Teresa Clayton, from Chaff City, said she loved the involvement of an all female group of 23 women getting involved.

“It is great to meet new people and a terrific idea of Danny to get all these women together. Previously their only association in racing was through the male interest of husbands, family and friends. However, he has never been under so much pressure as with this group,” she quipped.

Another Ascot trainer, Paul Jordan, concurred, saying that the beauty of group involvement is that it spreads the fun.  Right from the start of his career he wanted to train for groups of people and not be reliant on just one big owner. “There is nothing worse than being in the winner’s enclosure on your own. The fun of racing is to have excited people celebrating.”

Keith and Beverley Bell are two who have had a long association with Jordan and his racing manager, Harvey Crossman.

Keith Bell, whose father was a jockey and trainer in India, explained he had initially been with a small group before going solo. Copy’s Son was a galloper who won a couple at York before being a bleeder. Bell backed his galloper at the nice odds of 100/1 and that success helped pay for a Disneyland holiday.

Then came Kimi Gayo and he recalled how expensive vets bills could be.

“That horse put a foot through a float floor and was badly injured. Later we put her in foal and she died 11 months into the pregnancy. Bev said that was enough with horses and it was for about 15 years. The experience taught me not to be on my own.”

Coming back into racing at the turn of the century, with a share in Clickiton (three wins) the former shoe shop proprietors are currently in about 12 horses trained by Jordan.

“We generally have a five to ten per cent share and it beats having all your eggs in one basket. We now have something running most of the time. I get more of a kick out of it with other people involved and everyone dancing around in the winners’ circle. Take nothing away from Bob Peters, he deserves every success for what he puts into racing, but when he wins he is virtually alone in the winners stall,” Bell said.

After Clickiton came grey mare Clarecastle, a winner of four races (and over $200,000) a winning feat subsequently emulated by her two sons Castle Retreat and Chinetti that are curently raced by the syndicate. 

“We live in a street called Clarecastle Retreat, amongst a little nest of racing enthusiasts including Trevor and Chris Smitham, Paul and Luxy Loenhaut and Barry and Jacquie Bond, so we named her after our street,” Bell said.

However, it is For Your Eyes Only that has been the stand-out for the syndicate, with 10 wins from 27 starts, which by that stage, according to Keith, “Bev, no longer complained!”

As for the noisiest group of owners, well that is a shoo-in for the Chris Gangemi stable when Rock Magic wins, like he recently did in the Group 3 Colonel Reeves Stakes during the Ascot carnival. These owners make more noise than a Hawthorn premiership crowd and seemingly have just as many members. On the Richter Scale of racing enjoyment, this mob clearly reach a 10.

Racing Syndicates ….. bringing people together, now there’s a war cry – a catchy but simple slogan for the marketing teams at Perth Racing and RWWA to potentially consider.

Hoofnote  This article is in the current edition of Winners Circle available free at Gannon’s shop, on course, at Ascot.