PRIME DISPATCH

Edition 82 – 09/09/2015      Compiled by Joe O’Neill

James and Pat O’Shea

Pat treated every day as if it was his 21st!!!

 I was very sad to hear of the sudden death of well-known Toowoomba race caller Pat O’Shea over the weekend.  I’d known Pat all my life and had a fair bit to do with him over the years.  He was wonderful company and a very talented person.  Pat’s family home was across the road from my grandmother’s in Toowoomba and Pat and his younger brother John were good footballers.  Pat lived an incredible life and had the opportunity to move to Sydney to call both Rugby League and racing, the two great passions in his life.  He decided to stay in Toowoomba and the city and its sportsmen and women were the winners with this decision.

He called the local Rugby League on radio with my uncle for 36 years and was a household name around the Darling Downs.  In 1985 Pat coached All White to the TRL Grand Final with my youngest brother Bernard playing in the Grand Final and Michael was a reserve.  Unfortunately the club were beaten but some of Pat’s pre match orations were outstanding and worth the $6 entry to the ground.

He had the most popular breakfast show on radio on the Downs for some time as well as reading the sport on local Win Television for 30 years.  He was very generous with his time and the number of Sportsmen’s dinners he hosted in the district and how much money was raised from these important nights would be staggering.  As was his way he didn’t charge to host these functions as he saw it as being a way of giving back to a community that had given him so much. 

I sure that there will be a lot of people in Toowoomba sitting back and realising what the community lost with his death.  My thoughts are with his family who no doubt are feeling the most pain at this time.    

TWO YEAR OLD RACING

I’m amazed at the small number of two year olds we are seeing at the trials.  I remember heading to the two year old trials at Randwick two decades ago and there would be 20 plus heats.  The change is due to the different type of horse we are breeding with the influence of the shuttle stallions forcing our trainers to be more patient with their babies.  Also the cold winter we have experienced has probably had an effect.  Presently we have all of our 20 two year olds broken in with them at various stages of their development.  While there is no pressure on our trainers I expect we may see a couple step out before Christmas.   

The most impressive trial winner to my eye to date has been the Hinchinbrook filly Divajeu at Randwick yesterday.  She was a relatively inexpensive purchase from the January Magic Millions Sale.  I have been very big supporter of Hinchinbrook and have three two year old fillies at various stages of their development as well as two three year olds.  Hinchinbrook really impresses me and during my visits to the Hunter over the past few months I have left each time with the feeling that he is going to be a great success at stud.  I can’t get enough of them!!!

 Divajeu as a yearling!!!

THE WEEK AHEAD

We have a quite week ahead with Maraska at Doomben today where she has to deal with a tough gate, Terra Amata running in the Open Handicap at Ballina tomorrow and Go Arrivederci at Muswellbrook on Friday.  We are a little in between times with a number of horses having barrier trials, out spelling or in the early stages of their preparations.  This is a cyclical occurrence.

SPRING CARNIVAL

The quality of racing on offer in both Sydney and Melbourne has been outstanding with some terrific performances during the past couple of weeks.  I hope some of you took the tip on the John Thompson trained Hooked.  A couple of weeks ago I wrote in the dispatch ‘Hooked is another of John’s horses that looks in fantastic shape.’ 

This weekend we see the running of the Group 1 Golden Rose at Rosehill.  It has attracted a wonderful field and sees the NSW trained three year olds up against the best from Victoria.  I am of the opinion the NSW form is the stronger and expect either Exosphere or Press Statement to win the race.  Press Statement looks a really good horse.

It was amazing to see Chis Waller line up 11 runners in the Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes at Randwick last Saturday and it was a bit ironic he didn’t get the winner.  I’m certain we have never seen a Sydney trainer with the numbers Chris Waller has at present.  By comparison in the 1998/99 season Bill Mitchell finished 4th in the National Trainers’ Premiership with 106 winners from about 650 runners from memory.  Waller already has 38 winners from 179 starters in less than 6 weeks into the season!!!!  

I was thrilled to see The Cleaner win for Mick Burles at Moonee Valley last Saturday.  It has been well reported that Mick hasn’t been in the best of health and win by The Cleaner must have given him a great boost. Horses of the calibre of The Cleaner, Banca Mo and Iggimacool highlight just how strong Tasmanian Racing has become. It’s a pity Geegee’s Blackflash didn’t race on the mainland because at his top he was superior to these three horses and probably the best horse we have seen come out of Tasmania since Alfa.  If you see a Tasmanian trained horse running in Melbourne over the next few weeks it may pay to have a few dollars on it.

The fields at Flemington and Rosehill on Saturday are terrific and I can’t wait for the day’s racing to start.  Some of the horses likely to start closely related to Prime Thoroughbreds horses include Puritan, The Grey Flash, Taiyoo, Strawberry Boy, Happy Trails, Slivovitz and Danish Twist.

Darren Weir is certain to have a strong presence at the Carnival and steps out an outstanding galloper in Lucky Hussler this weekend.  This race is likely to be too short for him but watch for him as he gets out to 1400m and beyond.  Darren’s progressive stayer Sir Laszlo looks nicely placed at the weights on Saturday and is in nice form.  I have four horses with Darren and couldn’t be more pleased with the job he does for us.

IT’S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR

Each year at about this time I head to the Hunter Valley to purchase a couple of nice yearlings to offer to our clients.  These yearlings are at a discounted price to what they would cost at the yearling sales next year.  I have had four trips to the Hunter since the Scone Cup and have secured an I Am Invincible filly and a Hinchinbrook filly.  These were both reared at Yarraman Park.

I should have the promotions approved by Racing Victoria later in the week and will have the full details available next week in the dispatch.

Over the years we have had terrific success with these early purchases with the best being the Yarraman Park bred Too Many Reds and Believe’n’Achieve and of course Pitt Street.  Our recent winner Hazy Blur was purchased early from Yarraman as was the progressive filly Shining Brooke.

The I Am Invincible heads to Darren Weir and Hinchinbrook to John Thompson.

I am in the process of tidying up the syndications for the yearlings (now two year olds) I purchased earlier in the year and expect to have all 20 fully subscribed and named by the end of September which is far earlier than we have ever completed them in the past.

Hazy Blur winning at Cessnock – Two wins in a week!!!