A Cautionary Tale

One of the first things you learn when you get involved in thoroughbred racing and breeding is that you don’t always get it right. If it’s any consolation to anyone reading this who’s a relative newcomer to the industry, you can have over 40 years’ experience and still make decisions which hindsight shows are very dumb indeed.

Few of you will have been aware of the result of Race 2, a maiden 1600 event, at Friday’s Otago RC meeting run at Oamaru. The winner was a 4YO Darci Brahma mare named Dee and Gee who jumped well, sat outside the leader, shot away at the top of the straight and held on by a narrow margin. Fairly ho-hum, you’d have to say.

Not so much, I’d reply. Dee and Gee is one of the four yearlings our Cloughmore Racing partnership bought into at the 2015 yearling sales. She was a December foal and, in spite of being by a proven stallion out of a four-win mare from a strong family, cost just $16,000. She had four starts for us but, after showing initial promise, the decision was made that she wasn’t going to be a profitable proposition. The clincher was a dismal run on a rock-hard track at Whakatane. So, understandably, we decided to either sell or lease her. Our partnership was tempted to buy out the majority owners but were unable to agree on a price and, to be entirely honest, we also had reservations about whether she could become a paying proposition. At least we had the sense to lease her.

And here we are, just nine months later, watching that very same Dee and Gee greet the judge at her first South Island start. What irks me is that she looks like a totally different horse. No longer is she a chunky little thing with a questionable and choppy action. No longer does she need a wet track. No longer is she slow out of the barriers. And no longer does she race ungenerously.

Time. That’s what it’s all about. Her former trainer got it exactly right about what she could and couldn’t do nine months ago and gave us a fair and honest assessment of her. She may still be just a racehorse who will do well to break even. However, there’s a possibility that she will turn into what her pedigree suggests she ought to be – a decent stayer.

If that happens it will prove the point that racing success isn’t just about the facts in front of us. It’s also about patience and imagination. (Note to self).