By Casey O'Connor
I was definitely Verry Excited when Verry Elleegant strode up to the leaders in the Cup last week and kicked clear of Incentivise and the rest of the field.
It was my first Cup winner since Damian Oliver and Media Puzzle combined to win the Cup. That was in 2002 so its fair to say firstly I was overdue to find the winner and secondly that the bookies are quite fond of me.
The win certainly stamped Verry Elleegant (the current Australian Racehorse of the Year) as one of the greatest mares in recent history and continues the dominance of the girls on the racing scene.
She joins some of the all-time favourites Winx; Black Caviar and Makybe Diva.
Many likening her Cup win to the great Diva.
The win also added a missing piece to Chris Waller’s impressive training career and cemented jockey James MacDonald as one of the very best in the game.
Racing is a great game – full of millionaires, would be’s and battlers – all equal when the horses line up in the barriers.
Of course, there is nearly always a back story connected to great horses and with Verry Elleegant it is the story of Connor Harrison.
As a horse loving 14-year-old teen in NZ Harrison, in spite of his best effort failed to convince his mother to allow him to buy a share in a young filly he’d fallen in love with while mucking around in Nick Bishara’s stables.
He was so enamoured with the filly that the owner, Don Goodwin gifted him a share in the horse.
Harrison’s name does not appear in the race book as an owner because under the rules of racing you must be 18 to be a registered owner. But an owner he is and Harrison’s share of the mare’s eye watering $14,090,744 including the Melbourne Cup prizemoney is held in trust. You could say Connor Harrison has an eye for a good horse. Me, I was just pleased to pick up my meagre winnings at the TAB.
It’s been a big week for me, a Cup winner, the Poms have arrived for the Ashes and the Australians are into the T20 World Cup semis. What more can a man ask for.
Hope you found the Cup winner
Casey
