Racing

LIVERPOOL’S  GREY

A grey galloper was expected to win the Amelia Park Plate (1000m) at Ascot on November 4, 2017 but not the one expected.

Epic Grey started favourite but it was a sizzling grey, Fabergino, that jumped in front for apprentice, Fred W. Kersley and ran them all ragged in a time of 57.75 seconds. Kersley described her effort as ‘jaw dropping.’

The win was the second for the three year old filly, emulating her performance in her only other start when she also scored by a , when ridden by Jarrad Noske on April 29th.

Why has she been so lightly raced and well spaced between runs? “It is because she is a big filly (16.3hh) and we can afford to be patient while she matures. Some people told me I should take her east this year but that was not a consideration,” part owner and breeder, Jim Anderson said.

Anderson did consider another run, in early December, with Fabergino, but within days of her success the filly’s trainer Tiarnna Robertson had her pelvis broken in three places, when she fell from a two year old at trackwork on November 7.

‘That accident to Tiarnna made up our minds to put Fabergino away until the New Year when, with the carnival over, she should be able to pick up some easy races. I expect her to be at her peak in 1200-1400m races in November next year,” Anderson said.

Anderson, a former Londoner, has 65 acres at Bullsbrook, near the RAAF base, where he runs 25-30 horses, mainly brood mares and youngsters. His racing partner is John Beasley who originally hailed from Liverpool.

The Liverpool connection led to Beasley securing some ‘Liverpudlian’ interest in the four young gallopers from Anderson’s sire, Maschino, that they are currently preparing for racing.

Beasley was back in the Old Dart and talking to some some ex-school mates, in a Workers Club,in Liverpool, about their current WA racing stock and two of them wanted ‘in,’ on all four gallopers.

“One of these blokes runs a glazing factory with 160 employees. After Fabergino won a trial he told his workers to be on it on race day. They did and they cashed up to the extent that only half of them turned up for work subsequently! They watch Fabergino at 6 am in the morning, at the club, and get on the booze at the same time so Mondays have become a disaster when she is running,” Anderson quipped.

Obviously, despite the words, from the Vogues song, no five o’clock whistle blows at that Liverpool factory, at the start of the week.

Anderson rates Maschino as his best galloper with seven wins from 22 starts he is keen to see how his four youngsters by the sire will perform with Fabergino setting an early standard for the other unraced gallopers to follow.

Maschino won the Group 3 RJ Peters Stakes (17/11/12), when ridden by Jarrad Noske and prepared by Graham Yuill, finishing with a great burst to win by a length from Niblick and McScar.

Indeed, that was not only a memorable day for Anderson but also for Noske who booted home a treble on the day and then received an added bonus.

As I recorded at the time for Ozrace and WAROA, in a satirical piece, (Cracking Good Times from Ascot –Noske’s Winning Ways), he was trudging back to the jockeys room, wearing the turquoise colours of Shane Edwards: The Turquoise One …..was seen under the Stewards Tower kissing a delightful brunette with long legs and a very short beige mini. This of course was a very sound tactical move by the jockey as well as very romantic place to engage in such pleasantries! The stipes would not have thought to look under their floorboards and even if they had spotted the handsome prince…..he would have been given the all clear under the rules of racing. He was trying his best (to respond), was not causing any interference and he stayed in a straight line next to the outside fence, being only checked in walking (and having his momentum stopped) by the delightful long-legged one who leaned across to peck him, thus showing even more leg, if that was possible.)

I don’t know what Jarrad’s heart rate was at the time but mine was on a par with Rocket Racer after his Perth Cup win and certainly, the Anderson clan had elevated heart rates, on that day, for different reasons.

Anderson rated that Peters win as the biggest thrill until Fabergino’s arrival. “She has surpassed that win in the thrill factor. When you breed from your own stallion and dam then successfully race the progeny it is like having your own kids doing something special,” he said.

“We screamed our heads off when Maschino won the Peters that day and have been even more raucous with her. We are not big owners and breeders who are super cool in such moments.”

Fortunately they have a couple of riders who are cool in the saddle.

For a while afterwards, that November day of 2012, I referred to Noske as Rodin, after the famous sculptor of  the marble piece of work,The Kiss (1889). Jim just refers to him as “my favourite jockey,” and rates his apprentice rider, Kersley, as a “good up and comer.”

Others with places in his heart include Lord Lonsdale who won five races in a row for him in early 2006 with John Claite aboard the Robert Matthews trained galloper; Urban Chill, a La Trice Classic winner (2005, with Matthews getting the quinella in the race), Seneca and the Earl of Tenby.

Jim, as a retired scaffolder, clearly enjoys his hobby as an owner-breeder and Fabergino has given him new heights to attempt to scale, namely the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes in 2018.  

If that happens the noise levels heard at Ascot and Liverpool will gain respect even from the syndicate of Chris Gangemi’s serial noise-makers!

(Story appeared in Winners Circle, Summer 2018)