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Who Am I? - Fly Under The Radar Series #9
Harness & Greyhounds
JayJay
8,624 posts
Ok, ok, ....dirty night, wind howling, buckets of rain...spring in Manji, sheesh!!! And smiling after reading Ken Casselas's form comment on Neighlor for next Tuesday at GP...."had supporters lining up early outside the local bakery after winning by 9.7m" etc....seems the great man reads PTT....hope he hasn't put the mozz on us lol.
Not many Queensland bred horses make the headlines in WA but this little bloke with 22 wins in the 1990's and numerous big time placings gets him a guernsey. Even more-so when you battle to find anything to get excited about in his pedigree...and I get easily excited about almost any sign of success in a pedigree. Although his sire was a son of Albatross, he was hardly a household name and the dam side is very light on for winners, even minor winners. And if qualifying for the Flying Under The Radar means getting beaten up by really top horses, then this little horse qualifies. I actually came across him during his educational days and never thought he would be mixing it in top company but good manners and quality handling from one of the most astute judges and educators I ever came across count for an awful lot.
Stepping out as a 2 year old, he chased home one of the really dominant Whitby horses at Northam before winning at his 2nd start at GP. At his 3rd and final 2 year old start in the $100k Sires race, he met severe interference and again fell victim to the Whitby success train. Put away to grow, which he didn't, he returned as a 3 year old and put together a run of 5 wins from 6 starts including 2 city races at GP. Heading towards the WA Derby through the preludes, he was 3rd in the Derby Final to another of the Whitby brigade. Racing on to the end of his 3 year old season, he raced another 12 times for 5 wins and 3 seconds before heading off for a spell. Regarded as one of the better 3 year olds of his class.
Returning as a 4 year old the next March, his next 9 starts produced 5 wins, 4 in the city along with a win in a strong Wagin Cup, and 3 seconds with just 1 unplaced run, before being put away for the Summer Carnival. He was becoming a very serious little race horse.
A first up 3rd in the 4 and 5 Year Old Championship and a 2nd at headquarters, both behind quality horses, were followed by a 4th in a WA Cup prelude and a 3rd in the Cup consolation after copping severe interference, all adding to the mysterious decision to leave him out of the Cup final field.
After running a game 2nd in 1.56.3 in the Mount Eden Sprint, he kept racing in fast class ranks, collecting 2 more city wins and numerous placings behind quality horses like Zakara and the Whitby cavalcade.
Returning for the next summer carnival, he again missed out on the Cup Final but ran 3rd once again in the Cup Consolation and continued to place racing towards Winter but he was finding it pretty tough going. However, mid July, he bounced back with a great open class win over his new nemesis Zakara and a game 2nd to one of Ray Duffy's quality FFA horses.
He then lost form and was spelled and when he returned, he was now an 8 year old and spite of running numerous 4th's in races like the August Cup, his time in WA was up and he headed off to South Australia. He won a major FFA at Globe Derby Park worth over $5,000, which was a veritable fortune in SA Harness Racing at the time and raced in the SA Cup worth $100,000 but the winner was a serious champion and as a rising 9 year old, the game was nearly up. Another minor Globe Derby win and numerous 2nd placings followed but as a 10 year old, he was retired after a job very well done. He was the second most successful of his sires meagre tally of 129 winners and was a little gentleman throughout his career.
Not many Queensland bred horses make the headlines in WA but this little bloke with 22 wins in the 1990's and numerous big time placings gets him a guernsey. Even more-so when you battle to find anything to get excited about in his pedigree...and I get easily excited about almost any sign of success in a pedigree. Although his sire was a son of Albatross, he was hardly a household name and the dam side is very light on for winners, even minor winners. And if qualifying for the Flying Under The Radar means getting beaten up by really top horses, then this little horse qualifies. I actually came across him during his educational days and never thought he would be mixing it in top company but good manners and quality handling from one of the most astute judges and educators I ever came across count for an awful lot.
Stepping out as a 2 year old, he chased home one of the really dominant Whitby horses at Northam before winning at his 2nd start at GP. At his 3rd and final 2 year old start in the $100k Sires race, he met severe interference and again fell victim to the Whitby success train. Put away to grow, which he didn't, he returned as a 3 year old and put together a run of 5 wins from 6 starts including 2 city races at GP. Heading towards the WA Derby through the preludes, he was 3rd in the Derby Final to another of the Whitby brigade. Racing on to the end of his 3 year old season, he raced another 12 times for 5 wins and 3 seconds before heading off for a spell. Regarded as one of the better 3 year olds of his class.
Returning as a 4 year old the next March, his next 9 starts produced 5 wins, 4 in the city along with a win in a strong Wagin Cup, and 3 seconds with just 1 unplaced run, before being put away for the Summer Carnival. He was becoming a very serious little race horse.
A first up 3rd in the 4 and 5 Year Old Championship and a 2nd at headquarters, both behind quality horses, were followed by a 4th in a WA Cup prelude and a 3rd in the Cup consolation after copping severe interference, all adding to the mysterious decision to leave him out of the Cup final field.
After running a game 2nd in 1.56.3 in the Mount Eden Sprint, he kept racing in fast class ranks, collecting 2 more city wins and numerous placings behind quality horses like Zakara and the Whitby cavalcade.
Returning for the next summer carnival, he again missed out on the Cup Final but ran 3rd once again in the Cup Consolation and continued to place racing towards Winter but he was finding it pretty tough going. However, mid July, he bounced back with a great open class win over his new nemesis Zakara and a game 2nd to one of Ray Duffy's quality FFA horses.
He then lost form and was spelled and when he returned, he was now an 8 year old and spite of running numerous 4th's in races like the August Cup, his time in WA was up and he headed off to South Australia. He won a major FFA at Globe Derby Park worth over $5,000, which was a veritable fortune in SA Harness Racing at the time and raced in the SA Cup worth $100,000 but the winner was a serious champion and as a rising 9 year old, the game was nearly up. Another minor Globe Derby win and numerous 2nd placings followed but as a 10 year old, he was retired after a job very well done. He was the second most successful of his sires meagre tally of 129 winners and was a little gentleman throughout his career.
Comments
And...he was driven by 40 different drivers...Ian Grieg, P.Arthur, G.Pellew, C.Goldfinch, K.Young, M.Saw, G.P.Elliott, J.O'Sullivan, R.Young, B.Cousins, R.Warwick, J.Humphries, C.Brown, J.Warwick, J.Caldow,P.Gath, B.Ralph, D.Wilson, T.Patching, B.Walters, D.Brown, A.Donohoe, M.Neilson, C.Alford, C.Petroff, S.Miller, P.Greig, I.McMahon, J.Kerr, T.Cook, H.Manzelman, J.Manzelman, R. Manzelman, B.Manzelman, W.Waltisbuhl, K.Wanless, J.Donohoe, A.Pullicino, A.Misfud and B.Gath.
Geez, if only he could talk.....227 starts, 39 wins, 45 placings, $292k and 1.56.1....and a most interesting pedigree featuring great colonial WA sires in Frosty Nelson, Bintravis and his grand dam sire was Bronze Whaler, another strong candidate for flying under the radar....Mount Edens radar actually....from the great Oro Travis mare line that produced the champ Bin Oro, probably Woody's best ever horse. Bred by Bill Godecke.
squid69 likes this post.
From memory old Station Hand could possibly rival THW on the number of tracks and drivers?
Thanks for the hard work you put into this.
JayJay, curmudgeon likes this post.