Memories of the late cricketer Phillip Hughes were recalled when Fouroeight scored his first win at the Group One Feeds restricted-class harness racing meeting at Bathurst last Tuesday.
The three-year-old gets his name from the official test number allocated when Hughes was first selected – he became the four hundred and eighth player to represent Australia since test cricket was first played – which Hughes proudly sported on his shirt, under the coat-of -arms.
Since Hughes' tragic death, that number has become iconic in Australian cricket, and even among the wider community. Many cricketers, at all levels, now sport the number on their clothing, footwear or equipment.
The Rock N Roll Heaven two-year-old had entered Rue's stable round about the time of the tragedy, in late November 2014, and Rue, very deeply touched by the death, was quick to ask owner Tony Pace if he could add a name to the list about to be submitted.
"Tony was happy for me to do that – he's a terrific owner, who never bothers me about anything, and goes along with whatever I decide for his horses – and even though it went down as sixth out of a possible six names, that was the one we got. I think it was just meant to be," he recalls.
Tuesday's win might have been the gelding's first, but his $1.20 starting price was no surprise.
He'd placed at all five previous runs, three last season including a Gold Crown Consolation, and twice recently, including the McCarthy Memorial race on Boxing Night.
After holding the lead from his inside gate, Rue was able to get away with a comfortable first half in 62.7 seconds, before upping the ante over the final half in 55.4 seconds, for an overall mile rate of 1:57.5, seemingly with plenty in reserve.
His winning margin, over first starter Whiskey Blaze and So Kool Master, was 24 metres, just a touch more than the length of a cricket pitch. "Marvellous," Richie would have declared.
The all-the-way win of Glee Bromac NZ ($6.00), the second leg of a Wendy Turnbull training double in the opening two events, also prompted some memories, much closer to home this time, when driver Jason Turnbull spoke about the December 15 birth of a daughter to himself and partner Donna Russell.
Named Georgia Dale, she carries the same initials as Jason's late father Greg, and perpetuates the "Dale" middle name borne by his famous grandfather "A.D " , father Greg, and Jason himself.
Each time Jason and older sister Emma warm up before a race, or return to scale after a placing, they pass in front of the infield semaphore, which is officially the "Greg Turnbull Memorial" at the track. G.D. is keeping a good eye on them.
Emma, who's battling it out with Mat Rue for the driving premiership at Bathurst this season, took out the opening race, an RO sprint, with Yearn For You ($29.70 ) which produced a barnstorming finish to score his second lifetime win, and the first in 10 starts this season.
Then in race three, following Jason's win, she backed up again, with Our Braxton NZ ($5.60, for Lester Hewitt), sitting in the death throughout the R1 sprint to score a tough win, home in 27.5 and 29.8, for win four in six lifetime starts.
She almost made it a treble in race four, but had to settle for a close second, driving the Peter Bullock-trained Skirmish, behind Left Neglected ($7.70, Nathan Turnbull ) in the R2/R3 "fast class" of the night.
Left Neglected set off three-wide from the half-mile, tracked up by Skirmish, and pulled out plenty in the run home, for an impressive win in the night's fastest time, a 1:54.8 rate. His trainer-driver was expecting a good run from the close relation to Blacks A Fake, after several strong trials, but was nonetheless pleased by the performance.
Count Montecristo ($20.30, Tony Higgs ) ended a fourteen-month long losing sequence, when he came from mid-field with a strong finish to take out an R2-backed conditioned sprint, giving his trainer-driver just his second win at the new Bathurst track, the previous win for both of them coming on Melbourne Cup day in 2014. Even sectionals added up to a moderate 2:00.1 mile rate.
Brian and Margaret Bradley, who stood stallions at their "Myola Park Stud" for a number of years, were represented by the winner of the 2260 metres R0 seventh race, Slice of Paradise ($4.30 favourite, Amy Day). The lightly-raced Mach Three son continued the improvement shown in a couple of recent placings, coming with a strong sprint from mid-field. Resounding cheers were heard down at the Coolamon farm.
Cherry Mahoney ($1.60 favourite, Steve Turnbull ) commenced her sophomore year in winning fashion, leading early before handing up and then coming wide in the straight for an authoritative win in the final event, rating 1:58.1 over the sprint course.
The daughter of Breeders Challenge champion Bonnie Mahoney, and a Tiara heat winner last season, she had improved her race manners after a number of trials leading into this race, but her driver wasn't prepared to chance the sprint lane with her, preferring to pull her out turning for home to give her plenty of room. Once she balanced up, she had the race in her keeping.
Bathurst races again next Friday night, with the annual Oberon Community Cup Night certain to draw a very big crowd, for some high-class racing headed by the Cup, and plenty of novelty events and auctions to raise money for Ronald McDonald House. It's always one of the most enjoyable nights of the season.
by Terry Neil