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My two favourite racecourses in Australia are the country Wodonga racecourse (four kilometres south of the NSW border) and the city racecourse at the Heath (Caulfield); four kilometres from my front door.
I love the wide straights and sweeping turns of the Wodonga track, in Brockley Street, because five generations of Mahers have attempted to fathom the depths of the relatively flat 1,700m of irrigated loam turf that define its circumference; with little apparent enhancement to the family fortunes, I might add.
I love the Caulfield Heath because it is a gift from the gods in the middle of mindless suburbia: Caulfield has a circumference of 2,080 metres and the home straight is 367 metres long. It really is the land of sweeping plains – and vaunting ambitions.
The Heath has a slight rise along the back of the course leading to the 1,400m start (just before the channel Nine logo). The sharp corners and the short straight make it difficult for horses to swoop from the back and win (especially if they are from Sydney and wrong-footed on the turn into the home straight).
I’m not saying its better than the vainglorious Valley or the fabulously fatuous Flemington HQ; but it is a racecourse where I feel extremely comfortable to be home on the range.
On race day, my progress to the curragh was interrupted by gormless Green-voting, pimply-faced youths in Swanston Street who proclaimed they were protesting against corporate greed in Wall – and Collins – Streets by pitching extremely-expensive four-person McMansion tents in the city square.
“They” said “the rich” were 1% and “they” represented the oppressed 99% who couldn’t afford expensive camping gear; or to go to the races at Caulfield to oppress jockeys, horses and other “enslaved” Melbourne Racing Club staff who put on the show.
Profligate punters were worse than that. We begged to differ and moved on.
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This is the view other riders had of Southern Speed at the end of the BMW Caulfield Cup. Pix: Getty Images.
We got to Zagame’s Pub on the corner of Dandenong and Derby roads just in time to greet long-lost friends and proceed to “occupy” the course proper on the other side of Station Street; there, we intended to liberate 50,000 oppressed-punters and support a time-honoured Australian tradition called the Caulfield Cup.
The Camptown and the Caulfield races only have alliteration and horse racing in common; but anyone on the course proper on the day would be forgiven for thinking they were one and the same thing – so incessant was the course PA system in repeating the refrain.
When Stephen Foster composed “the Celebrated ‘Ethiopian’ Song – Camptown Races” (see below) for Christy’s “blackface” Minstrels in 1850; “camptowns” were communities of "negro labourers and transients" living in shacks and tents thrown-up along the edges of frontier towns in either Cincinnati or Pittsburgh.
If, like me, you grew-up in a totally-white, middle-class Australia in the 1950s, we thought the words in the title referred to the inner-Sydney suburb of Camperdown; where the University of Sydney and the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital are located.
Fortuitously, in 1827, a racecourse was opened on land where both now stand; and this helps to blur our racial memory of what we thought we thought.
Prize money for the Caulfield Cup is worth 2.5 million dollars. It was first run was in 1879 and was won by Newminster. It was elevated to a Group 1 in 1979 and won by Mighty Kingdom. In 1885, 17 of 44 horses fell at the turn into the straight, resulting in the death of jockey Donald Nicholson. In 1906, seven horses fell.
Please remember the fallen hoops in your prayers.
THE MEDIA AND THE MESSAGE
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Shock! Horror! Francesca Cumani is a closet mounting-yard smoker: pix – Herald Sun.
It should not surprise regular readers of your correspondent's race day rantings to know that he has an abiding interest in the goings-on of fellow members of the Fourth Estate.
For many years he was of the opinion that TVN Sydney’s Richard Callander (son of the esteemed Daily Tele journo, Ken) was a sponsor-spruiking dickhead. That did not stop your correspondent approaching the great man (almost as wide as he is tall); grasping his hand in the mounting yard; and uttering the weasel words “love your work”!
That I have no shame is a given. That he accepted same (without a fee for service) is bewildering. Perhaps he really is a nice bloke (as all his work for charity in my Western Sydney birthplace seems to attest); and it is I, who is the dickhead.
I can not say the same for the former love-of-my-life – Francesca Cumani. Francesca is contracted to Channel 7 – which is why you haven’t seen her on free-to-air rivals, Channel 9, during the Caulfield carnival.
I caught her smoking in the mounting yard before the Caulfield Cup and was suitably horrified. How can someone with MacLean’s perfect pearly-whites showing; despoil herself so? She is now off my acceptable eligible-marrying list. Damn it!
The Australian’s Patrick Smith is another kettle of fish altogether. Patrick is one of Australia’s finest journalists; doesn’t smoke – but like most Essendon-supporters is consumed with self-hatred.
Despite his undoubted gravitas and avoirdupois – Patrick doesn’t like horse racing any more than the “occupy Melbourne” Neanderthals like capitalism.
One doubts that Patrick has ever mounted a quadruped – let alone moved smoothly between the walk, rising to the trot, the challenging-canter and – finally – to the ears-pinned-back-gallop.
Patrick thinks horse manure “smells”. He thinks horses should only race if they want to. He thinks jockeys should never sit on their sensitive backs; that they should never jump logs if they encounter them on a bush track.
He thinks horses should not be forced to go out in the wind and rain, least they catch a cold; that jockeys’ whips are a barbaric throw-back to the middle-ages; and the sport should be banned because it is a disgrace to the Westminster system of democratic government.
But Patrick has a sense of humour. He writes all his copious notes in a classy leather-bound hide notebook that some poor animal gave his/her life for.
THE HORSE
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Pix: Nicole Garmston Herald Sun.
Southern Speed is by Southern Image out of the Zabeel mare Golden Eagle and this was her fourth win from 12 starts. With three placings she has earned stakes of $1,856,850 for connections BH Perks, Mrs AM Clough, TJ Robertson, Mrs EA Robertson, RB Fairclough and Mrs BD Fairclough.
Southern Speed made the most of her helpful barrier draw, being able to settle well in the early and middle stages of the race and looking super comfortable as they approached the turn. Green Moon led the field coming into the straight but Southern Speed was able to turn it up a notch and burst into the lead, racing away from all rivals with Green Moon doing well to hold on for second and Tullamore in third.
2011 Caulfield Cup result
1. Southern Speed
2. Green Moon
3. Tullamore
Then came:
4. Manighar
5. Lucas Cranach
6. Unusual Suspect
7. Drunken Sailor
8. Macedonian
9. Shootoff
10. Precedence
11. Absolutely
12. Niwot
13. Hawk Island
14. Saptapadi
15. Dream Pedlar
16. Domesky
17. Mighty High
18. December Draw
Leon Macdonald, who trains the lightly raced mare with son-in-law Andrew Gluyas, said. ''The Cox Plate was there if we wanted but the seven-day swing and back to 2040m didn't appeal. We'll look after her. The Mackinnon is a $1 million race, we are not there to knock her around. She is going to be a weight-for-age horse. She wont be a handicapper any more.''
THE JOCKEY
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Craig Williams: meaner than a junk-yard dog.
If any jockey is going through a purple patch at the moment it is Craig Williams.
Williams only went around two horses on the entire trip after leaving from barrier four on the Leon Macdonald and Andrew Gluyas-trained four-year-old mare. From the barrier Williams slipped over to the rails as they went past the post for the first time.
Mighty High led the field into the side straight followed by Niwot and Dream Pedlar. Williams was against the rails in fourth and Southern Speed was settled and relaxed as they went past the 1,400m.
The early pace eased at the 1,200m with the order the same and favourite December Draw in 11th place.
Mighty High faded with 500m to run and Niwot took over with Green Moon forging to the front outside. Williams then made his move crossing over the heels of Niwot who then quickly faded after the 400m, and he then went after Green Moon.
December Draw was nowhere to be seen with Rodd easing the horse entering $3.30 favourite as they entered the straight.
With Southern Speed on the outside of Green Moon, Williams asked the mare to make her move and she responded well being alongside Green Moon with 200m to run and then leading with 100m to run.
With Williams low over her neck Southern Speed went to a good win with 1 1/2L to spare over Green Moon. Tullamore finished third. Manighar was fourth, Lucas Cranach fifth and Unusual Suspect sixth.
“It is one of the four majors and I was lucky enough to do it today,” said Williams.
“A big team effort goes into it with Mark Guest my agent, my mother and father who are here today and my wife and children who have kept me occupied and not worrying about stressing out.
“And of course Leon Macdonald and his staff who prepared her and from the barrier draw she made it very simple for me and when I asked her for a full effort towards the end she was quite dominant.
“Second lap first past the post is what I always asked for but the transition to get there was really nice and she gave me a really good run from the draw and it made is easier for me to sit on her. When I asked her she really produced and won quite commandingly in the end.
“She travelled so well throughout and they went an easy gallop. I was really happy and Niwot gave me a good run out and then of course when Green Moon went forward I knew he would not slacken so I thought we just have to get out past his back and I just went through her gears and just built her up.
“When I pressed the button we had to fight for 50m with Green Moon and then she got on terms and then I got really serious on her for a bit more and she really ran away with it.
“It's sensational. It's really the one we wanted. When you go into a race with a good chance and things work right and that was pretty important," said Macdonald.
“They were in races she could not win anyway (earlier this campaign) and as soon as she got to a mile plus she started to show her form.
“She has raced very well since (the Stocks Stakes). I would not say she has not had a lot of luck but in the Underwood she was probably in front too far out and in the Turnbull she was probably on the fence for too long.
“I was pretty happy but I was wanting him to get off when he was getting to the six hundred (metre mark).”
“I've had her right from the start. A couple of times we trialled her as a late two-year-old, she showed us so much. So much so that as an unraced filly Claire (Lindop) wanted to run her in the Dermody Stakes, the 1000m race, but it did not eventuate because she went shin sore.
“She is very sound. She has not had a problem.
“She is not in the Melbourne Cup. We have done our job,” he said.
Southern Speed came into the race off a second in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes over 1800m at Caulfield on September 17th and fourth in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes over 2000m at Flemington on October 2nd.
She last won when taking out the Group 3 Vanity over 1400m at Flemington in February and she was third in the Group 1 SA Oaks over 2008m at Morphettville on May.
When he was a young apprentice with huge ambitions, Craig Williams had a couple of handicaps. First, he was overweight, a chubby 57 kilos, and second, after a couple of falls, he lost his confidence around horses. But then things started to change.
Inspired by the early success of his cousin, training partner and close friend, Travis Harrison, he shed more than five kilos. Before long, the cousins became two of the most watched apprentices in the nation.
But then, an unexpected tragedy: falling asleep at the wheel while driving one night, Travis was killed in a car accident. It was an event that indelibly marked the 19-year-old Craig Williams. Determined to honour his lost cousin, he’s gone onto great success, riding in Hong Kong, Japan and Europe and even for the Queen of England.
THE RECKONING
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The old Irish pound coin was called a Punt Éireannach and featured a fine upstanding Irish elk.
“To dream magnificently is not a gift given to all men, and even for those who possess it, it runs a strong risk of being progressively diminished by the ever-growing dissipation of modern life and by the restlessness engendered by material progress. The ability to dream is a divine and mysterious ability; because it is through dreams that man communicates with the shadowy world which surrounds him. But this power needs solitude to develop freely; the more one concentrates, the more one is likely to dream fully, deeply.” — Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867), French poet, critic. Artificial Paradise (1860).
Devine guidance to the Big Cup will be given to those who attend the annual racing fraternity mass at St Francis’ Church, 326 Lonsdale St, Melbourne, at 9am on Sunday, October 30. Even Protestants attend if they know what’s good for them.
Having recently cracked his first quadrella, your correspondent once more entered the breach with all four guns blazing. His selections were:
R#7: 2 3 8 9 10
R#8: 1 5 7 9 16 18
R#9: 1 3
R#10: 1 2 4 8 10
The results were 2 – 18 – 1 – 3 which left me somewhat deficient in the last leg department. Such is life! QED.
THE RECITATION
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"Gwine to Run All Night"
Or, De Camptown Races
De Camptown ladies sing dis song
CHORUS: Doo-dah! doo-dah!
De Camptown race-track fives miles long--
CHORUS: Oh! doo-dah day!
I come down dah wid my hat caved in--
CHORUS: Doo-dah! doo-dah!
I go back home wid a pocket full of tin--
CHORUS: Oh! doo-dah day!
CHORUS: Gwine to run all night!
Gwine to run all day!
I'll bet my money on de bob-tail nag--
Somebody bet on de bay.
De long tail filly and de big black hoss--
CHORUS: Doo-dah! doo-dah!
Dey fly de track and dey both cut across--
CHORUS: Oh! doo-dah day!
De blind hoss sticken in a big mud hole--
CHORUS: Doo-dah! doo-dah!
Can't touch bottom wid a ten foot pole--
CHORUS: Oh! doo-dah day!
CHORUS: Gwine to run all night! &c.
Old muley cow come on to de track--
CHORUS: Doo-dah! doo-dah!
De bob-tail fling her ober his back--
CHORUS: Oh! doo-dah day!
Den fly along like a rail-road car--
CHORUS: Doo-dah! doo-dah!
Runnin' a race wid a shootin' star--
CHORUS: Oh! doo-dah day!
CHORUS: Gwine to run all night! &c.
See dem flyin' on a ten mile heat--
CHORUS: Doo-dah! doo-dah!
Round de race track, den repeat--
CHORUS: Oh! doo-dah day!
I win my money on de bob-tail nag--
CHORUS: Doo-dah! doo-dah!
I keep my money in old old tow-bag--
CHORUS: Oh! doo-dah day!
CHORUS: Gwine to run all night! &c.
Written, Composed & Arranged by
Stephen C. Foster (Baltimore: F. D. Benteen, 1850)
*Horse and Jockey is the fair-dinkum name of a town in the County Tipperary, Ireland. TP Maher comes from a long line of horse thieves and whisperers who once roamed its townlands – finally, they were warned-off by the stewards and moved to Bonegilla in Victoria. |
HORSE & JOCKEY with TP MAHER* 
