Life As I Know It (25 page)

Prince drew an outside barrier and he was a bit slow out of the barrier, but I settled him at the tail of the field a couple of lengths off the second-last horse. Coming to the corner I was able to get onto the back of a horse with an unusual name, Weary, and he gave me a good trail into the race. At the top of the straight I thought I was going well enough to win, even in such a classy field, and as I pulled to the outside I felt like he was ready to fly. He worked to the line beautifully, but couldn't quite match it with Chris Waller's horse, the very talented Boban. That horse had an explosive finish and was much more suited to the race. Prince hit the line really hard, having come down the centre of the track, just two lengths behind the winner.

‘Prince of Penzance has run out of his skin on the outside,' caller Greg Miles said.

It was a fantastic return for a horse that was coming off such a severe injury, a classic stayers' first-up run, storming home late against quality opposition. He really took me to the line.

A couple of weeks later, the Melbourne Cup weights were announced. Prince had 53 kilograms, which was pretty fair, really. Signoff was not nominated as he'd had some setbacks. Darren had nominated Prince for the Makybe Diva Stakes, another Group 1, at Flemington. On his Caulfield form Prince was well placed, even if it was so early in his campaign. He is a fighter, but Prince does
not like hard tracks. I thought it was unwise for him to run if the going was too firm so I walked the track the night before. It was already rated a Good 3, so pretty firm on the ten-point scale, one being the hardest. The turf would dry out further before the end of the program of races.

I rang Flemington track manager Mick Goodie and asked him if he had any intentions of watering to take the jar out of the ground. I knew he wouldn't.

‘No,' he said, ‘and you're not going to change my mind.'

The conversation got pretty heated and I may have resorted to making my point with some colourful language. As a result, Mick had a word to the stewards. But, with the track so hard we didn't have any choice but to scratch Prince. It was too risky to run a horse with delicate legs that had endured three bone-chip operations. It's very frustrating to have to scratch a horse from one of the best racetracks in Australia because it's too firm.

Darren had nominated him for the Gold Nugget the next day in Ballarat. We ran, despite having to lug 62 kilograms, as he was the best-credentialled horse in the race by far. He ran fifth. It was a pass, just, but the weight had anchored him, as those very high weights will do.

As I was about to turn thirty my sister and I decided to organise a party at the Riverview Golf Club. Being a child of 1985—What a Nuisance's year, as they used to say up the bush, in reference to the Melbourne Cup winner that year—we thought we'd go with a 1980s theme, when the sisters were at their finest with their big hair, and large jackets with padded shoulders. We all love a party, especially one with a theme. I didn't invite a lot of people—family and family friends, the Loreto girls, a few people from racing. Darren was there, as well as a few other trainers, such as Andrew Noblet and Ciaron Maher. Everyone was in top form. Cathy and I had put together a dance to Mel and Kim's ‘Respectable', which
was more like a Kath and Kim in Moonee Ponds version. We hadn't told anyone about this, but when the DJ put it on, we took over the dance floor.

So, so eighties.

It was a fantastic night, but even though it was my birthday I took it easy as I had to be at the Monday meeting at Stawell to gallop Prince between races. Prince was always my priority, always at the front of my mind.

I drove to Ballarat and Darren drove me to Stawell. He didn't say much. Prince looked as good as he always does. Maddie had been riding him every day at Warrnambool and she was always impressed. Again Maddie wanted to tell me how strong and tough he was. She really shared my belief.

‘He'd run through a brick wall, this one,' she'd say.

The other horse in the gallop, Our Voodoo Prince, was very handy. He'd won in Melbourne and had been considered good enough to be sent to Sydney to run in the Metropolitan. He was being prepared for the bigger country cups and went on to win the Pakenham Cup later in the year. Darren had his stable apprentice, Harry Coffey, riding him. Harry is the son of Austy Coffey, one of Darren's best mates, and the grandson of trainer Jack Coffey, who helped Darren get a start in racing. Harry is a fantastic young rider who has to deal with the challenges of having cystic fibrosis. He knows about chance. And he was nervous because he had to lead and was worried about setting the right pace.

‘If you're going too slow or too fast, I'll come alongside you, and you just stay with me,' I said to him. I'd walked the track to find the best ground. The girls in the jockeys' room were laughing at me.

‘You what! You didn't party last night, so you could gallop one. And you're walking the track!'

‘Prince of Penzance might win the Melbourne Cup. You won't be laughing then.'

Harry and I took our horses out and just quietly I was a little nervous, too. Every gallop can make such a difference to a horse's preparation, for where they are, fitness-wise. If the gallop was too soft or too hard it could put everything out. We worked off from the 1000 and when we got to the 800 I let Prince go. He ran the last 800 in 45.5 seconds, a very quick time. He was extremely impressive. The signs were good.

His next start was in the JRA Cup at a night meeting at Moonee Valley. The United States was the favourite. Prince settled back and we had a nice run, fifth on the outside. The roughie Escado set a slow pace up front. When the leaders quickened, Prince laboured, and it took a while to accelerate, which was out of character. Then he ducked in. When I straightened him he hit the line about two lengths from Escado, which had kicked on to be the surprise winner. When Prince got into the clear he finished well enough, and he did cross the line with The United States and was holding him. I had the feeling he didn't like the firm ground and he was going through the motions. I knew he had more fight in him than that.

On Caulfield Guineas Day, two weeks later, he went to the Herbert Power Stakes, an important staying race for horses looking towards the Melbourne Cup. He was fractious in the barriers and then he came out awkwardly. He was four lengths last. Something just wasn't right with him. I let him get into stride before I tacked on to the back of the field. He made a run down the side of the course and then was really getting to the line, but all too late. The track was pretty firm that day too, and he had 59 kilograms. Later he was found to have irritated a ligament in his back. I'd say it happened when he came out of the barriers.

In the Caulfield Cup, Mongolian Khan took the honours. Trip to Paris flashed home along the inside to run second, and there were a number of impressive runs from international horses.
As punters were trying to make sense of it all, Amralah's name was now being mentioned. Prince had dropped right out of the conversations, but there were explanations. Or, as they say in racing, excuses. I still thought he had a chance in the Melbourne Cup.

I
LOVE COX PLATE
Day at Moonee Valley. All racing people do. It's the middle of Spring, the week before Derby Day and the Flemington carnival. Footy is long forgotten and racing is the talk of the town. Trackwork is exciting—not like work at all. Trainers are trying to get their horses right. Jockeys are vying for the best rides. Punters have been trying to stab a winner.

The W.S. Cox Plate is the premier weight-for-age race in Australia. It's regarded as the championship, contested by the very best horses in the land, and these days from overseas as well. It's filled with action and drama. It's my favourite day on the racing calendar.

It's an important day for the Paynes. When my family first came to Australia from New Zealand with Our Paddy Boy, he was good enough to be nominated for the Cox Plate. Our champ ran a brave third in 1980, the first of Kingston Town's three wins. But by then Dad had sold him to Robert Sangster and Colin Hayes was training him. But he always felt like one of ours. The race also means a lot to my brother Patrick. He rode Northerly to victory in 2002. And, of course, Prince and I had won last year's Moonee Valley Cup.

I also love the track. The Valley, as we call it, is different from classic Flemington, which is quite formal and so traditional. The Valley's a crazy shape, made to fit into the local surrounds, and you have to ride it accordingly. It's in Melbourne's older northern suburbs and it sits on a flat surrounded by 1920s homes filled with people who live everyday lives. It's Dame Edna territory. The back section runs alongside Moonee Ponds Primary School (where Edna Everage probably went), which for years has been a reference point for jockeys, punters and race-callers: ‘To the school now, and Sunline is doing it magnificently, four lengths clear. Where are the challengers?' Just round the corner is St Monica's Church and convent.

I was pretty excited. Prince was in the Moonee Valley Cup again—defending his title. That 2014 win qualified him and continued to keep him high on the order of entry for the 2015 Melbourne Cup—high enough to be a good chance to get in. A win now would take the chance out of it. He would get a run in the Cup. I was pretty confident he'd run a big race. He was just slightly down on form.

The Sunday before the Cox Plate Darren had taken him to a meeting at Warrnambool for a hit-out between races. I was happy to drive the two hours or so from Dad's place at Ballarat. I wanted to see what sort of nick he was in. On this Sunday in October, the Warrnambool racetrack was very quiet. No one took much notice of Prince. He was coming off the eight-length failure in the Herbert Power but I still thought Prince had it in him to be competitive. He produced some nice progressive work and I felt that he was getting back to his best.

Darren didn't say much—again. I didn't say much. But we both thought he'd run well at The Valley.

On Cox Plate morning, when I walked the track, I felt the best ground, by far, was close to the fence. With the rail out 3 metres
from its usual true position, I felt that bias was going to be even greater. The camber in the track, a slight angle, can propel you around the corner; you just kick off and it can save two or three lengths sometimes.

Walking off the track I ran into Peter Ellis, Darren's stable tactician. His job is to anticipate how the race will be run, to predict where jockeys will position horses, and what will happen as the race unfolds. He is very experienced, and a fine judge. I also got Deane Lester's speed maps, which are always very good. And I do my own.

Soon after, I saw Darren. We had ten minutes before I came out of the jockeys' room.

‘Can I lead on him?' I asked.

Darren was unsure, so I suggested he have a think about it and that we should talk about it when we came out. When I emerged from the jockeys' room just before the race I spoke to the owners and said that I wanted to lead, but without firing him up. It wouldn't take much to get him going and if we could lead comfortably that would be perfect. Then we could take advantage of the track bias.

About twenty of the owners had gathered around and they were happy with him going forward. Owners generally prefer to see their horse up on the pace, close to the lead, and this would be a change from Prince's pattern of settling back. Leading still seemed the right option but in the mounting yard Darren said, ‘No, don't change it, unless he gets there easy and without you doing anything.' He wanted me fourth or fifth.

When we jumped from barrier three I gave Prince a good squeeze after 100 metres, without stirring him up too much. I looked across to the outside and around and the other horses weren't going very hard. They looked like getting to the best part of the track without being made to do much work and, if he sat in
behind them, Prince was likely to start pulling because I already had him out and going. So I elected to take up the running and lead.

He found a good rhythm. Darren probably thought that that's what I intended to do from the outset, but it was a genuine response to the situation. For the first half of the race I was rapt because he was going at a really nice tempo, quick enough to make it hard to take him on, but relaxed enough where he could give a good kick when I asked him. I was hoping to stoke him up and get him to pick up from the 1000-metre mark.

But, around the 1400, Kerrin McEvoy moved up around me on Gai Waterhouse's horse Bohemian Lily. He was looking for the lead, trying to find a way to win, doing the best he could for his connections.

You are kidding, Kerrin! I thought. What are you doing?

I wasn't giving up the lead at that stage of the race. I said something to Kerrin and he came back off me, so I was leading again. He just kept looking straight ahead. Unfortunately, though, that challenge set Prince alight a fraction early and then in hindsight I think I let him stride 100 metres too early. Hugh Bowman was stalking us on The United States. He picked his way through the field, cutting the corner. He had the sit, came off heels and went past in the final 100 metres. Prince had something left after the line and ran on well, so I had to pull him up. As I rode up to where Hugh Bowman was, The United States looked like he had had it from the run.

I was extremely happy. We'd had a really strong hit-out, which is what you need for the Melbourne Cup, and we still had something to offer. I was confident we had more left to give than The United States. Coming back in, the owners were delighted. It was obvious he'd bounced back to form. And Darren was happy enough. I wasn't sure about my ride, though. I try to ride intuitively and instinctively, and sometimes things work out for the best, sometimes
they don't. But I always reflect on things. I always wonder: did I do the right thing? What could I have done better?