Rookie trainer and apprentice jockey score unlikely Victoria Derby victory
Tavistock’s Johnny Get Angry lands Group 1 for premiership coach Pagan and son of a gun in King
A rookie septuagenarian trainer who is better known for his exploits at the highest level as a football coach and an apprentice jockey born to ride at Flemington have combined for a remarkable Victoria Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) victory on an extraordinary day of firsts.
Johnny Get Angry (Tavistock), a Kiwi-bred maiden who had six starts prior to his Derby run, provided Australian Football League two-time premiership-winning coach Denis Pagan and Lachlan King, the son of champion jockey Steven King, with their first Group 1.
Pagan only gained his restricted owner-trainer licence in late June and it was Johnny Get Angry who was the 73-year-old’s first runner when the gelding ran third in the Taj Rossi Series Final (Listed, 1600m) at Flemington on July 4.
“I can’t believe it. I didn’t think he could do it. I just wanted to have a runner in it and now he’s won it,” Pagan said.
“I’m never emotional. I used to pot Chris Waller for sooking up and now I’m playing him on a break. It just hit me. It was something special, I’d never in a million years thought it would happen and he’s done it.
“You dream about it and that’s all I’ve thought about for the last two months, getting him here, I just wanted to get him into the Derby and he’s won it. It’s just starting to sink in now, I can’t believe it.”
In the immediate aftermath of the race a jubilant Troy Corstens, a training mentor to Pagan, embraced the former North Melbourne and Carlton coach, which saw Racing Victoria stewards fine the former $1000 for the Covid-19 protocol breach. Fellow Flemington trainer Saab Hasan was also fined $1000 for the same offence.
After running home from back in the field to finish third, seven and a quarter lengths behind Cherry Tortoni (Night Of Thunder), in the Moonee Valley Vase (Gr 2, 2040m) the previous Saturday, Pagan opted to put the blinkers on Johnny Get Angry.
An emotional Pagan, who sublets six boxes at Corstens’ Flemington stables, admitted to consulting a number of confidants, including fellow trainer John Sadler, before pushing ahead with the gear change.
“Lachie (King) reminded me of it (applying blinkers), Johnny Sadler reminded me of it and Troy (Corstens) said it was a good idea, so I asked everybody in Australia and they all said the same thing,” he said.
Pagan’s first winner came just three weeks after his first runner when then two-year-old gelding Frankie Two Angels (Medaglia d’Oro) won at Sandown on July 22, the football coach-turned-real estate agent-cum-trainer’s fourth runner.
King, whose father won the Derby in 1991 on Star Of The Realm (Imperial Prince) and 12 years later on Helenus (Helissio), has ridden all of Pagan’s 12 starters and the trainer stuck by him in the Group 1.
“Everyone was telling me I should use a senior jockey. I wanted to stick with Lachie, who has stuck with me,” Pagan said.
The loyalty shown by Johnny Get Angry’s trainer was not lost on King who admitted to considering retirement earlier this year bar for some encouragement from Pagan, the Corstens and his father.
“I can’t believe it. It’s so amazing. I thought I had awoken from a dream when he hit the line and had won the race,” 22-year-old King said.
In a slowly run Derby, Johnny Get Angry ($21) defeated Hit The Shot (Dundeel) ($7) by a length with Young Werther (Tavistock) ($3.40 favourite) a short neck away in third to become the fourth maiden in the past 30 years to win the race.
Preferment (Zabeel) (2014) was the last maiden three-year-old to take out the Derby.
Hit The Shot’s trainer Matt Cumani, who was also aiming for his first Group 1 win, said: “They went too slow early for him. I’ve got to be impressed by the way he finished. He’s a serious horse.”
Damien Oliver said Young Werther “had his chance”. “He ran well. The winner just outstayed us on the day,” the jockey said.
Johnny Get Angry (3 g Tavistock – Luminova by Zabeel) was selected by Troy Corstens under his Malua Racing and Flemington Bloodstock banner for Pagan at the 2019 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale. Pagan paid NZ$50,000 for the son of Tavistock (Montjeu), who was devastatingly euthanised at Cambridge Stud last year.
The three-year-old has now won $1,268,675 in prize-money from his seven starts which includes a further three placings, two of them at stakes level.
“I just love the Tavistock horses and I just try to get as many as I can out of Zabeel or Galileo mares,” Pagan said.
“Troy (Corstens) is the best in the world, he sourced it for me, he negotiated with the bloke (breeder) and how he got it for $50,000 I’ll never know. He did a terrific job and he’s got all my horses and it’s another Group 1 winner he’s picked out.”
Raised at Michelle Norman and Dave Keenan’s Kilmore Farm in Matamata, Johnny Get Angry was prepared for sale by Casey and Michelle Dando of Bradbury Park for the Karaka sale.
Casey Dando, who was a flatmate of Corstens in the mid-90s, recalled Johnny Get Angry as a raw staying type.
“It didn’t matter what sort of feed I threw at him he just didn’t fill up. He went to the sales still looking a big, lean tank. One thing I will give him, he was an athletic horse,” Dando said.
“It’s a massive thrill. We had five farm graduates in Derbys last year and couldn’t get a placing.
“To actually get one up, especially the VRC Derby at headquarters (Flemington), is a huge thrill.
“It’s off the back of raising the New Zealand Filly of The Year (Jennifer Eccles) and South Island Three-Year-Old Filly of The Year (Miss Federer) last year. It has been a big 18 months for us.”
Johnny Get Angry is the first winner for Luminova, who was placed in New Zealand and Australia before being purchased for $85,000 at the 2015 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale. She is a daughter of Listed winner and Group 1-performed Pavlova (Singspiel).
Luminova has a yearling colt by Cambridge Stud shuttler Almanzor (Wootton Bassett) and was covered by Reliable Man (Dalakhani) last year.
Yulong Prince to find home at stud after Cantala victory
Yulong Prince (Gimmethegreenlight), a striking South Africa-bred black entire who became Yuesheng Zhang’s first Group 1 winner in Australia, will join the Chinese businessman’s burgeoning Victorian stallion roster at the end of his racing career after yesterday’s breakthrough Cantala Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) victory.
The Flemington success for Yulong Prince was enough for Sam Fairgray, the chief operating officer of Zhang’s expansive racing and breeding operation, to label the six-year-old entire worthy of joining Yulong’s foundation stallion Grunt (O’Reilly) and newcomer Alabama Express (Redoute’s Choice) at the Nagambie stud.
It was also an important victory for Zhang, who has invested tens of millions of dollars in the industry, as he looks to devote more resources to the breeding arm of his business.
Yulong Prince, who is by a son of More Than Ready (Southern Halo), himself being out of a Canny Lad (Bletchingly) mare, won the 2018 Daily News 2000 (Gr 1, 2000m) at Greyville in South Africa when named Surcharge prior to Zhang’s acquisition of the entire in the autumn of 2019.
Since then Yulong Prince has raced 15 times in Australia, winning the Cup Day Plate (Listed, 1800m) at Flemington 12 months ago, but the six-year-old has raced consistently this campaign, heading into the race on the back of a fourth in the Epsom Handicap (Gr 1, 1600m) four weeks earlier.
“It’s a huge thrill. When you put in the hard work and so forth it’s great to be able to win on Australia’s biggest race day with a horse who will now join the stallion roster at Yulong,” Fairgray said.
“Givemethegreenlight is by More Than Ready out of a Canny Lad mare, so he has got a bit of an Australian twist to his pedigree and Yulong Prince is out of a Diktat mare.
“As a type, he is a great physical. He is very attractive and pedigree wise he will definitely have something that appeals to breeders in Australia.”
He continued: “It was a great result for Mr Zhang. What he has invested in his vision and what he is doing here in Australia and globally is fantastic so for him to get the result today is reward for the effort so far. It’s exciting for the future.
“Lucky Vega won the Phoenix Stakes in Ireland, so this is his second Group 1 worldwide but first in Australia.”
Fairgray praised trainer Chris Waller for finding the key Yulong Prince recapturing his best form.
“Chris sort of figured Yulong Prince out in that he is better fresh, so he has spaced his runs this preparation and we’ve seen the result today,” he said.
“He ran a good fourth in the Epsom at his previous start. Chris said, ‘we’ll just keep him fresh and go for the mile at Flemington on Derby Day’. What Chris has done is a huge credit to him and his horsemanship.”
Yulong Prince ($10), who was ridden by Damian Lane, held off fellow import Cascadian (New Approach) ($15) by a half neck with Rock (Pierro) ($8.50) a half length away third.
Lane thought he had hit the front too early, especially when he heard Damien Oliver yelling behind him on Cascadian.
“I could hear ‘Ollie’s’ yelling, his very distinctive voice coming from behind and normally once you hear him he gets you,” Lane said.
“It was good that he (Yulong Prince) knuckled down and fought it out for the win. I got a rare one up on him there.”
Waller’s Melbourne stable foreman Jo Taylor said it was a fantastic result for Zhang.
“It’s a Group 1 for Yulong and Mr Zhang and it’s just fantastic to get that on the board,” she said.
“Mr Zhang is investing so much money in racing. He’s a big supporter of ours, not just us, but racing in Australia. They’re deserving of these big results.”
Fairgray confirmed that Yulong would be scaling back the number of horses it has in training as Zhang’s broodmare band and stallion roster increases in size.
“Mr Zhang wants to focus on getting the stud operation up and going,” he said.
“We will definitely still be focusing on the racing team as well, which will obviously support the stud. We’ll be buying fillies and we will buy a few colts or shares in colts as well with the potential to go on and be stallions.”
Meanwhile, Yulong Prince (6 h Gimmethegreenlight – Congestion Charge by Diktat) has raced 28 times for eight wins and $1.5 million in prize-money.
He is one of five winners for Congestion Charge, who is a three-quarter sister to stakes winner Endorsement as well as being a half-sister to the stakes-placed Zugudi (Night Shift).
The Australian-bred Gimmethegreenlight, who made $155,000 at the 2009 Magic Millions Winter Weanling Sale, is a half-brother to Group 1 winner Ofcourseican (Mossman) and Group 3 winner Persan (Pierro) who runs in Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m).
He stands at Varsfontein Stud in South Africa and was the champion freshman sire in 2016 and last year was the leading active sire of stakes winners. Overall, he is the sire of 26 stakes winners including Got The Greenlight and Gunner, both Grade 1 winners.
Exceed And Excel filly makes most of Melbourne home with Coolmore success
A Sydney defeat to start her three-year-old season has proven to be the catalyst for rapidly improved September Run (Exceed And Excel) being able to lay claim to arguably being Australia’s best sprinting three-year-old after the filly took out the Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).
Trainer Chris Waller, perhaps unwittingly, found the Flemington straight to be the key to the form reversal of September Run who made it three victories in succession down the Melbourne straight course and downed a batch of valuable colts in the process.
The Exceed And Excel (Danehill) filly was unplaced first-up in the Silver Shadow Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) at Randwick on August 22, a performance which prompted Waller to send her to Victoria.
“She was just a step below the Sydney fillies in her first up run and I thought, how are we going to get back on the board?” Waller said from Rosehill after.
“So we sent her down there and she’s created her own legacy. She’s a very good straight horse.”
Ridden by Craig Williams, September Run ($4 fav) was able to get to the outside of the straight, enabling her to unleash her powerful burst which has been evident in her Cap D’Antibes (Listed, 1100m) and Poseidon Stakes (Listed, 1100m), also at Flemington.
She defeated another filly in Swats That (Shamus Award) ($7.50) by one and three-quarter lengths with Wild Ruler (Snitzel) ($5) best of the colts in third.
“She came down from Sydney with B-grade form and just really opened up to the world with some confidence,” Williams said.
“This is the best race for three-year-old sprinting in the spring so she had to be good and she was awesome.
“Her acceleration and the sustained speed she can produce. The first time I won on her, she was entitled to get tired at the 100 and all she did was go faster.
“She is a powerhouse. She’s gained confidence in three wins and most importantly she has an affinity with the straight.”
Waller paid tribute to September Run’s owner Hermitage Thoroughbreds, which also runs a pre-training facility near Sydney.
“Going down there (to Melbourne), I was given confidence from the farm she’s from in The Hermitage, they’re amazing supporters of mine and they work up the straight track every day there,’’ Waller said.
“It’s as good a training facility as you’ll find in Australia and there’s been some pretty good horses there to say the least.
“I love my horses, I treat them all the same. I don’t go ‘wow, gee, that’s a good horse’ at the sales because they can make liars out of you but I like a nice athletic horse with a good temperament and she had that (at the Premier Yearling Sale).’’
September Run’s win gave Waller his fourth Coolmore Stud Stakes and his first with a filly after previous triumphs with Japonisme (Choisir) (2015), Brazen Beau (I Am Invincible) (2014) and Zoustar (Northern Meteor) (2013).
High-priced stallion acquisitions Farnan (Not A Single Doubt) and Anders (Not A Single Doubt) have both experienced setback-riddled campaigns. They ran tenth and 14th respectively. Glenfiddich (Fastnet Rock), another colt who suffered a mid-spring setback, finished 12th having undergone epiglottic entrapment surgery following his Bill Stutt Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m) victory on September 25.
Farnan’s jockey Glen Boss said the Kia Ora Stud-bound Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner had pulled up lame while Mark Zahra said Anders was needing a spell.
Meanwhile, September Run (3 f Exceed And Excel – Pittsburgh Flyer by Street Cry) was sold by Blue Gum Farm at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale last year for $380,000 to Hermitage Thoroughbreds.
“She’s a bloody ripper. She just keeps improving, she’s now won those three in a row in emphatic fashion, she runs good time, she’s just a great filly,’’ Blue Gum Farm’s Phil Campbell said.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s one thing to sell them well but what keeps people coming back to buy them year after year is if they race well.
“We’ve had an amazing run of late and that today was just the icing on the cake.’’
September Run, who has won five races from eight starts and earned $1.185 million in prize-money, is the first foal out of Group 3 winner Pittsburgh Flyer who in turn is out of champion South African two-year-old filly Warning Zone (Elliodor).
Pittsburgh Flyer was purchased by Go Bloodstock and Paul Moroney for $500,000 at the 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale when in foal to American Pharoah (Pioneerof The NIle).
The filly was bought by Eddie Hirsch for $100,000 at this year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale from the Coolmore draft. Named My Yankee Girl, she is being trained at Caulfield by John Salanitri. Pittsburgh Flyer had a filly, born on August 20, by Merchant Navy (Fastnet Rock) and was covered by Exceed And Excel (Danehill) on September 15.
Blinkered Bar proves inspired move in Empire Rose
Damien Oliver was far from glowing after the Tuesday morning track gallop of Shout The Bar’s (Not A Single Doubt) but co-trainer Adrian Bott had one trick up his sleeve and that move proved decisive in a blanket finish of the Empire Rose Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) yesterday.
Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Odeum (Written Tycoon) ($4) was ridden beautifully by Jye McNeil, to be just nosed out by Shout The Bar ($31) who rallied strongly in the final stakes of the $1 million fillies and mares feature.
Fellow three-year-old Forbidden Love (All Too Hard) ($11) was half a length away in third.
“She got beaten pretty comfortably in her work but the track was pretty firm on Tuesday,” Oliver said.
“I’ve got to give a lot of credit to Adrian. He suggested to put the blinkers on her and I really think they made the difference.”
Oliver also switched the whip into his left hand over the closing stages and Shout The Bar responded to his urgings.
“She’s been headed before, I think when she won the Arrowfield in Sydney, and fought them off,” Oliver said.
“You can never underestimate Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott’s team, they always fight it out strongly.”
Tasmanian mare Mystic Journey (Needs Further) was heavily backed into $2.70 favourite but did not finish off as well as expected and ran seventh.
Her jockey Kerrin McEvoy said the mare did have some excuses.
“She just got cluttered up when we needed to get some room and get into the race. Instead we were boxed in and she wasn’t beaten far,” McEvoy said.
A $200,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale purchase in 2018, Shout The Bar (4 m Not A Single Doubt – Drinks All Round by O’Reilly) has won four of his nine starts, two of them at Group 1 level, to return $990,925 in prize-money.
Shout The Bar is one of two foals to race for the three-time winner Drinks All Round, who is a three-quarter-sister to the stakes-placed Master Hunter (O’Reilly). Drinks All Round changed hands in 2018 after being bought by Melbourne Bloodstock for $90,000 at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale.
Now owned by Ron Finemore, Drinks All Round has an unraced three-year-old sister, a two-year-old sister Emerald Bay, who ran in the Victory Vein Stakes (1000m) at Randwick on October 17, and she was due to foal to Not A Single Doubt (Redoute’s Choice) again this year.