Bill Feiss is a man of many parts and he may not have been entirely joking when he noted at Addington on Friday that he might approach wife Jean to add his name in the book to Jesse Duke.
Bill was responding to the habit of the Feiss's to race their horses under separate names even though they are essentially a partnership. The policy may well have cost them Owners of the Year in the past and might again this year.
"It is not that big a deal though we were runners up as leading owners at Moonee Valley a few times years ago. We couldn't beat the Knights" Bill said
In those days Jean was training the team herself along with son Matthew
Last season Jean raced the best two year old filly and the best three year old filly and Vincent was Bill's star. Nobody would quibble with the connections of Lazarus being Owners of the Year but the Feiss partnership has built an astonishing strike rate in a relatively short time.
Jean has added considerably too to Yearling Sales turnover. She has bought four sale toppers as yearlings just in recent years and the three to race, Vincent, Sicario and Jesse Duke have all made their mark.
Bill is hopeful about the racing future of Vincent after his stem cell operation.
"The op went well and and he has been boxed since. Now he goes into a yard and then into a paddock and he will be exercised every day. Its a long process and hopefully it will work out. The problem is that he is a colt and he is putting weight on. WE have to keep on top of that"
Back in Rolleston Vincent will continue light exercise. Like his dad, Roy, Mark is sceptical of the lengthy spell originally prescribed for Vincent
"I haven't had much luck bringing horses with suspensory problems back from long spells " Mark said.
Most recently he was probably thinking of the hugely talented Didjamakem Bolt who did everything by the book (including exercise and a long buildup) but either failed to survive the final stages of a race preparation or had a brief racing return before experiencing further problems.
"It's never easy to get them back when they are racing at the highest level" Bill said
"But he is good enough to try and he is a sensible horse which helps"
Bill and Jean were at Alexandra Park for the memorable Group One wins with Elle Mac and Jesse Duke last week and had a tiki tour of the country driving down from Auckland during the week to watch Elle Mac score in the Nevele R heat on Friday. It would be fair to say that Bill, once a rarer visitor on this side of the Tasman where Jean is a devoted follower of her racing team, has become a more regular traveller lately.
In the meantime check the ownership of Jesse Duke. Bill's name might work its way into the book-and he will be even more regular then !
Courtesy of All Stars website
http://www.allstarsracingstables.com/