G'day Punter!

In this Discussion

Who's Online

0 Members & 31 Non Members

Who Am I? - Fly Under The Radar Series #2

Harness & Greyhounds
The almost perfect type of horse....locally bred, high speed with a 1.55 record, good from the stand, gate speed, longevity, consistent beyond belief, only 4 winning cheques above $10k, the largest a mere $15k, won nearly 30 races and north of a quarter of a million in total prizemoney......raced against the very,very best....and got regularly k'od by them but always bounced back to be placed at the highest level but never landed a big one. 
My sire is a very rare species....a fully imported USA horse who actually raced in Australia and a bit of a sleeper in the Sires business....and who finally went to stud after running second at, of all places, Wagin. My mum hails from a very colonial South Australian line with no standout winners, the consistent Nalaara Boy four generations back probably my best known relation. I also resided in a number of stables, with success in all of them, before finally settling in the cooler climes of the South West.
Racing career started as a 2yo at Pinjarra but got beaten by a less than illustrious stablemate. I did manage to win a fairly ordinary heat of The Pearl 3 starts later but got lost in the final finishing 7th of 8. After that, I started to find my feet winning 4 of my next 7 starts, including 3 metro stake 2yo races before being put away to come back as a 3 year old. My 2 year old record was a very healthy 12 starts for 6 wins, 3 seconds and a 4th in the big Sires Stakes race worth for a total earn of over $52,000.
Resuming 6 months later, I won a mid week 3yo at GP scrambling home along the rails from a Stephen Smeath trained horse, and 3 starts later, claimed a metro stake 3 year old win. My next 10 starts produced just 1 narrow win at Pinjarra but I was rarely unplaced. 5 starts later, I rounded out my 3 year old days with a metro 3yo win .....in all as a 3 yo, I had 16 starts for 4 wins, 4 seconds and 4 thirds for $57,000.....Overall 28 starts for 10 wins and over $109,000 with not a single big win anywhere. My owner loved me!!!!
Resuming as a 4 year old 5 months later, and in a new stable, my first 9 starts produced just an MO win but as usual, I was placed 5 times before a further and final stable move did the trick and I strung together a picket fence of 6 wins , mainly provincial, but I did nab my biggest career win and a cheque for $15,000 in a semi classic 4 year old race.
As a 5 year old, I put together another picket fence of 5 wins including a rare (and only)  victory against a future nemesis in another semi classic race and a heat win in the Christmas Gift, before failing in the final. I was now punching with the big boys in the group races but I finished down the track in both of my first attempts at Group 1 glory, though far from disgraced. After the carnival, it was back to class racing and I progressed to an M7 with  another 3 wins on the trot before successive placings in both sprint and marathon lesser group races. Spelled for the winter to avoid bloody Shattering Class, another nemesis, I returned as a 6 year old in Spetember with a stout FFA win but went winless (although placed) at my next 12 starts....running against Interdominion and WA Pacing Cup legends was just a bridge to far. Spelled again, I returned as a 6 year old for just one mid week victory but the end was nearing and although placed on a couple of occasions at group level, I never won again and I was retired to a nice paddock after 86 starts and 27 wins.

Comments

  • jumjum    3,512 posts
    Love reading these JJ, And await with interest who the horse is. Shattering Class is the only horse I remember or backed in this era :x

    Ridersonthestorm33 likes this post.

  • JayJayJayJay    7,629 posts
    Almost guaranteed you would have backed him Jum...very good horse across the 1999 to 2004 era...but like many, ran into 3 or 4 outstanding champions.
  • jumjum    3,512 posts

    Did some research and found the horse

    Picked up a check in 80 of the 86 starts too JJ

    ^:)^  would loved to have owned him

    JayJay, Ridersonthestorm33 likes this post.

  • curmudgeoncurmudgeon    2,417 posts
    Would that be Golden Gears JJ ?
  • JayJayJayJay    7,629 posts
    You've got him....as I said at the start, the almost perfect horse. Had he not blotted his copybook when he galloped out in the Fremantle Cup, he at least runs second....I put the mocha on him that night haha. However, he owed me absolutely nothing, a real favourite of mine.

    jum, Ridersonthestorm33 likes this post.

  • JayJayJayJay    7,629 posts
    No Curmudgeon, he was just a touch earlier but also a ripper of a horse. He actually won a group 1 (a fairly weak Fremantle Cup) and had a lot more starts. He was one I was thinking of including in this series.
  • Browny123Browny123    97 posts
    Was pretty smart this fella....

    JayJay, jum likes this post.

  • JayJayJayJay    7,629 posts
    edited August 2017
    For anyone interested, a few more details on Chivalrous Fella. As a 2yo, 2nd to Talladega in both the Golden Slipper and the Champagne Stakes. At 3, 5th to Talladega in the WA Derby and 4th to Seelster Sam in the Australian Derby. Unplaced to Seelster Sam in the Nugget and then 1st( beat The Falcon Strike) in the 4/5yo Championship and 1st in the 4yo State Sires, 4th to Lord Miles in the Christmas Gift. 4th, 4th and 6th to The Falcon Strike in the Media Cup, the Fremantle Cup and The Pacing Cup. 2nd and 3rd to Havago and Holm For Xmas in successive Mt Eden Sprints, 3rd to Transit Earl in an Easter Cup, 4th and 3rd to Sokys Raider and Holm For Xmas in successive Brennan Cups, 3rd to Tricky Vic in a Porter Memorial, successive 3rd's to Meggie Dear and Baltic Eagle in FTC Members Sprints, 2nd and 4th to Shattering Class and The Falcon Strike in Celebrity Miles and unplaced to Baltic Eagle and The Falcon Strike in the Pacing Cup and the Australian Pacing Championships. As I say, he flew under the radar but a really good horse who never received the acclaim he should have. That quarter of a million he won could easily have been $500,000 with a bit of luck (and a few scratchings).

    Browny123, jum likes this post.

Sign In or Register to comment.