Mcgaw proves his mettle in Showdown battle
Emma-Lee and David Browne scored their biggest win since crossing the Tasman when their bargain buy Mcgaw (I Am Immortal) confirmed his latent talent with a determined win in the $1 million VOBIS Platinum Showdown (1200m).
Mcgaw’s debut win at Pakenham had been a relative stroll in the park, but on Saturday the $14,000 purchase proved he possessed bravery as well as brilliance after holding off the persistent challenge of John Sadler’s filly Befuddle (Hanseatic) in a ding-dong battle down the Caulfield straight.
The inaugural winner of the Showdown, Prince Of Sussex (Toronado), has since enjoyed sustained success in Hong Kong, where he races as Lucky Express; and the offers will almost certainly flood in from the Asian racing mecca after Mcgaw kept his unbeaten record intact for Team Browne.
The husband and wife team and their ownership group have so far knocked back every offer tabled, and while the temptation to realise a huge profit on their meagre purchase might prove irresistible, it’s equally tough to put a price on the excitement garnered by Mcgaw’s seemingly limitless potential.
Damian Lane’s decision to stay in Melbourne to ride Mcgaw in the marquee contest on Victorian Owners and Breeders Raceday was a sure sign of the big impression the gelding had made on him.
A track gallop on Tuesday morning to familiarise himself with Caulfield proved a masterstroke, as Mcgaw defied a wide draw and a betting drift to take his prize-money (and VOBIS bonus) earnings past $600,000 from just two starts.
“That was exciting, I’m a bit lost for words really,” admitted Emma-Lee Browne.
“We bought this horse cheaply and just thought hopefully he will win one race for us, then when he won his first race he’d already won back his purchase price.
“I liked his long legs when I saw him at the sale, so I bought him and then David tried to take the mickey out of me and said, ‘You know he’s got a wonky look.’ But I loved him anyway, he’s such an amazing horse but he is a bit of a dork. He’s got those big ears and he just wanders around, but then he gets out there and he does that, just amazing.
“It really is the land of opportunity here in Australia, when you can buy a horse for $14,000 and win a race for a million bucks. I’m incredibly proud of the horse and I’m also proud of Damian, I have to thank him for staying in Melbourne.”
For his part, Lane paid tribute to the training skills of the Brownes, who relocated to Melbourne from their native New Zealand three years ago; and revealed he was delighted to play his part in a fairytale result for McGaw’s connections.
“That’s everything racing a horse is all about, isn’t it?” said Lane. “He was a cheap buy and the owners and trainers are great people who have just won a million-dollar race. So it’s what dreams are made of from an ownership point of view, and it’s really rewarding when you can provide a result like that.
“I was hoping they’d go a little bit quicker, given the way the track has played, so that I could find some cover. Luckily he’s a horse that does have a little bit of stamina, because he was out on his feet late but he did enough to hold on.
“He’s still very raw and he’s really not sure about his job yet. He’s a bit of a big kid. He goes to the barriers trying to take off and jump different coloured patches on the grass. So to be able to do what he’s doing on raceday, hopefully that means that with natural progression he can improve and we will see where he goes in the spring.”
Victory marked the biggest win for Swettenham Stud’s second-season stallion I Am Immortal, who almost achieved a notable double with his three-year-old son Athanatos running second in the other feature race, the $500,000 VOBIS Platinum Guineas (1600m).
Mcgaw – who was mis-named in honour of All Blacks great Richie McCaw – became the third Showdown winner sired by one of Swettenham’s stallions, after Toronado (High Chaparral) produced the inaugural winner Prince Of Sussex and the 2023 heroine Shesallshenanigans.
Earlier in the day, Benagil (Manhattan Rain) scored an emotional victory in the VOBIS Platinum Guineas for Glen Thompson, who took over the running of Ballymore Stables following the recent passing of his training partner Mike Moroney.
Benagil’s win was the first of a fine double for Thompson, who saddled Bankers Choice (Mongolian Khan) to win the first race of the afternoon.
Moroney, whose funeral will take place on Monday, was farewelled by the industry during a moving memorial service in midweek, and Benagil provided the stable with a poignant victory when she dashed away with the $275,000 first prize.
Benagil had proved rather frustrating after showing plenty of promise earlier in her career, but she turned her form around under Mick Dee with race favourite Athanatos finishing half-a-length behind the flashy filly.
Bred and raced by Philip and Patti Campbell, the former proprietors of Blue Gum Farm, Benagil will now be set on a path towards the Australasian Oaks (Gr 1, 2000m) at Morphettville on 26 April.
“Phil Campbell has been a great supporter of ours,” said stable foreman Anthony Feroce.
“We trained the mother and I think Phil also raced the grandmother, then he gave us the daughter, so it’s a big thrill to win for him.
“I knew Mick had a lot of horse underneath him. She was luckless in the spring against some really good fillies, but today we just tried to take the luck out of it.
“I told Mick to just stay out wide, and he did that, then she exploded which was terrific to see. I got a bit worried towards the end there because the other horse made it a bit close. But it was good to get the result.
“The original plan was to run last week, but we didn’t think we could beat Matt Laurie’s very good filly [Treasurethe Moment]. So we decided to bypass that and come here, and it’s worked out really well.”