Travolta Dances Away with Australia Day Cup
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GAI’S GAZETTE6TH EDITION/FEBRUARY 2014 Travolta dances away with Australia Day Cup GAI’S EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Lea Stracey CONTRIBUTORS GAZETTE Gai Waterhouse Welcome to our latest edition of Gai’s Bruce Slade Lea Stracey Gazette and the first for 2014. Rob Waterhouse It is with great sadness we record the pass- Zeb Armstrong ing of the Thoroughbred Racing Industry’s Madison Whant most innovative and beloved veterinarian, Tessa Hetherington Dr Percy Sykes. How curious, yet perhaps appropriate that according to the Chinese GRAPHIC DESIGN & laYOUT Calendar, this is the Year of the Horse, the Madison Whant animal that was foremost in the care and concern of this gentle veterinarian. As you CHIEf photogrAPHER will read, he lived a full and fruitful life and was a great pioneer and contributor to the Bradley Photographers Thoroughbred Racing Industry. www.bradleyphotos.com.au The stable stars have been firing the past few weeks and I am sure you will enjoy Editorial PhotogrAPHER reading about the foremen who look after their charges in the various “barns” around Need for Steed Aus. www.needforsteed.com.au Kensington. We welcome Bruce Slade and his new venture in Round Table Racing. Many ADVertisers of you know Bruce from his previous position as Gai’s Racing Manager. In- side, he shares his vision and the changes he has in store… AUSHORSE Rob Waterhouse’s article on The Proposed New Track Rating Structure makes Bluebloods for very interesting and thought provoking reading. We wonder what your BradfieldCleary Burnewang North thoughts are on this subject? Coolmore Sir Patrick Hogan has long been a successful breeder of horses in New Zea- Eliza Park International land. His discussions on bloodlines are fascinating and informative and Zeb Equiano Armstrong’s questions are very cleverly conceived. Marcus Oldham Recently I was at the Randwick barrier trials where an age range of Gai’s Mittys Wild Oaks charges, both staying and sprinting types were competing under trial Yarraman Park conditions. Champions like Fiorente, Glencadam Gold and Julienas put in Widden super performances. It was also exciting to watch the two-year-old trials of Wandjina and Precia who will be very competitive in the rich two-year-old ADVertising MaNAGER races ahead. With all the sales in the first half of the year there will be some wonderful opportunities to share in the thrill of racing and winning. Make Ric Chapman [email protected] sure you check our website in the coming months for your next champion. Exciting times ahead indeed. PRINTERS See you at the races. Graphic Impressions Lea Stracey Editor-In-Chief 4 www.gaiwaterhouse.com.au Contents Page 6 Page 6 Performance of the Month: Sweet Idea by Zeb Armstrong Pages 8 - 9 From the Pen of the Lady Trainer Pages 10 - 13 Introducing Round Table Racing by Bruce Slade Page 14 Pages 14 - 15 Vale Percy Sykes by Lea Stracey Pages 16 - 18 Proposed New Track Rating Structure by Rob Waterhouse Pages 20 - 25 Inside Tulloch Lodge by Madison Whant Pages 26 - 27 A Bright Future for John Sheridan Page 10 by Madison Whant Pages 28 - 29 Looking Through a Magnifying Glass by Zeb Armstrong Pages 30-31 Richard Rutherford - A Farmer’s Success by Zeb Armstrong Page 32 Eliza Park International - A Mega Force Pages 34 - 36 “A Glimpse in the Mind of the ‘Lady Trainer’” by Tessa Hetherington Pages 38 - 41 Sir Patrick Hogan and the Zabeel Dynasty by Zeb Armstrong Page 42 First Season Sire: Hinchinbrook by Zeb Armstrong Pages 44 - 45 Recent Winners Page 46 Only the Best Opportunities for Gai’s Rising Stars by Madison Whant Page 38 www.gaiwaterhouse.com.au 5 Success at the Magic Millions: Sweet Idea (Snitzel x Flidais) Performance of the Month he sensational mare Sweet Idea kicked strongly and never even looked like Sweet Idea (Sweet Idea x Flidais) produced being headed. James pushed the filly right out a brilliant display of sustained and just on the line she again extended which speed to win the Magic Millions indicates she may even get close to a mile in three-year-oldT Guineas on the Gold Coast on future starts. what was a ‘wonderful Waterhouse’ Magic Sweet Idea has now had nine starts for four Millions day on the 11th of January 2014. wins, four seconds and one third. She is yet to It was a great win not only because the best miss a place which demonstrates exactly how horse won, but also first prize was a generous she gives her very best at each and every start amount of money. Was the win ever in doubt? she has. Previously at Wyong, in their Magic 200m after jumping James McDonald had Millions three-year-old race, the filly won on Photography Bradley by Photo Sweet Idea leading and, it seemed, cruising pure class. She had a lot of tightening up to effortlessly along. Despite the horrible barrier do after that race, and by the time the Gold 13, the race was almost a forgone conclusion Coast Magic Millions came around, Gai had after a furlong. Sweet Idea looking like an amazon warrior Sweet Idea was pushed out of the barriers in the mounting yard. She was rock hard fit by jockey James McDonald to find the early and she was just exuding a certain confidence lead, and this is where the filly stayed for the and happiness. It was magnificent to see her entire race. From the 1000m to the 600m, go back to the Gold Coast and go one better bigger and better than ever, and although Gai James consolidated his position in the lead, than she had the previous year in the Magic never makes decisions in the winning stalls, then at the 600m the filly really switched Millions two-year-old race. Sweet Idea in just it might be okay to think that Sweet Idea will off and allowed James to dictate terms. This nine starts has won 1.5 million dollars for be very hard to beat in some of the bigger is where the race was won, because Sweet her connections (over six times her purchase 1200m – 1600m races during the revamped Idea was allowed a nice break before she price). Not too bad for a filly that has just Sydney Autumn Carnival and perhaps even was again revved up at the 300m where she come off a three month spell. She is one or two of the time honoured Melbourne sprints. Melbourne would be lucky to have Sweet Idea and James her, but of course Gai will know what is best McDonald winning the and she will let the racing world know soon 2014 Magic Millions Guineas enough. Congratulations to all the owners of this filly. She is something to behold in the way she just tries as hard as she can when she is asked. She wants to win and in the end, that is all we can ask for in a young horse. Well done also to James McDonald on a very confident ride. After the race James mentioned to Gai within ear shot of the television cameras that he was not going to get beaten after getting such an easy time in front. But he still had to get the filly into that position from the wide barrier, and once he did, the smiles in the grandstand broadened to whoops of joy that © Magic Millions continued into the night! ▣ 6 www.gaiwaterhouse.com.au From the Pen of the Lady Trainer ll the major sales throughout Australia occur from the begin- ning of January until the middle of April. AThere are a few exceptions, but for the most-part these are the sales that capture the world’s attention. We are famous for our globetrotting sprinters that have come out of these sales. Black Caviar, Scenic Blast, Choisir, Miss Andretti and Takeover Target have all won at Royal Ascot after starting their careers in Australia. Last century it was our stayers that ventured abroad to compete and plenty did with distinction, horses like Tobin Bronze, Phar Lap, Shannon, Sailor’s Guide. I’m often asked what I look for in a yearling when I’m at the sales. One of the most cru- cial things I look for in a yearling is balance. I want a yearling that can walk out of its box, can gallop in a paddock and can balance itself nicely while doing so. Intelligence, awareness and alertness are also crucial traits. I like a yearling to be tractable in order to help it reach its full potential. The second Gai with the Redoute’s Choice x Hades colt absolute non-negotiable is that a yearling has to have a good attitude. The wrong attitude and decision making. before lot 434 a colt by Redoute’s Choice or ‘attitude’ as I like to call it, will stop a When I refer to the right attitude in a year- out of a mare named Hades walked into the young horse from having the willingness ling it is something that I also expect from ring, Jon and I among others were sitting at that makes a horse a champion. I have had the boys and girls that work with me. The a table close to the front of the ring. We were great success at the various sales with these right attitude is just as crucial in a worker as discussing many yearlings including this personal guidelines in mind in seeking the it is in a yearling. My team needs to set goals Redoute’s Choice colt.