IN his popular column, ‘SILKS & SADDLES,’ published in the NORTH QUEENSLAND REGISTER, respected racing writer, TERRY BUTTS, recalls his fondest memory with the late Cups King Bart Cummings.
North Queensland trainer Greg Wehlow, who once worked for Cummings, also revives memories of his days as foreman for Bar in Sydney.
Butts again raises the question on the lips of many north of NSW and that is whether SKY Channel really cares about anything racing outside of that State and Sydney.
Here is his column:
MY FONDEST MEMORY OF SHOWING BART SITE OF NEW HONG KONG TRACK
EVERONE has a story, at least an everlasting memory of Bart Cummings, the undoubted legend of all Australian horse trainers who sadly passed away at the weekend. And I have one to share.
It was at Epsom Down on Derby Day 1971. Your scribe was there representing a Hong Kong newspaper and towards the end of a long day there were three of us standing in the weigh-in enclosure sipping champagne.
Can you believe – Lester Piggott, wearing a coat over his colours as he still had one more ride, Bart, to whom I had been introduced earlier in the day, and yours truly?
Bart said he would be in Hong Kong for a couple of days on the way home and ‘could I show him where this new racecourse was being built’. ‘No problem’, said I, and a week later picked him up at the Mandarin Hotel for the half hour drive (no tunnels in those days) out to Sha Tin which was just a small fishing village in the New Territories.
Driving along the one and only road that would eventually lead to the heavily manned Lowu Border and then Canton, I said ‘that’s it there, pointing a large expanse of water.’
“Where?
“There!
“I meant the new racecourse,” said Bart, quite seriously.
“Yes, I know. They will knock out that mountain you see in the background and fill in the bay.”
He, like everyone else was totally bewildered by the magnitude of the proposal.
Six years later one of the finest racecourses in the world was unveiled. There were teething problems of course. Not surprisingly, parts of the track were reported to be ‘sinking’ – but in typical Hong Kong fashion the problems were soon ironed out.
And Sha Tin, of course, is no longer the sleepy yum cha or satay stop on the way to Mainland China. It is a bustling city of residential skyscrapers, international hotels and high class shops and restaurants.
GREG WEHLOW FONDLY REMEMBERS HIS DAYS WORKING FOR BART
TABLELANDS trainer, Greg Wehlow, worked for Bart Cummings for three years (and 19 months for Tommy Smith as well) when the two were dominating training ranks in Sydney.
He was stable foreman when Century Miss won the Golden Slipper for Cummings. The owner gave the staff a case of champagne in appreciation. Two weeks later, Wehlow ‘found’ the case hidden at the stables, so he and the staff decided to have their own celebration one Saturday afternoon while the boss was at the races. He reckoned the boss must have ‘forgotten’ to pass on the French vintage to the staff.
Ten years later Bart was guest of the Townsville Turf Club and in conversation I just happened to ask him did he ever lose a case of champers.
He stopped, totally perplexed, looked at me through those bushy eyebrows and said: ‘Yeah. I don’t know what happened to that. Do you know something?’
Next day at the races I pointed Greg Wehlow out to him. Bart fronted his former strapper with a ‘G’day and did you enjoy it?’
Wehlow (who knew the score) replied; “Yes, Boss, it was very good too. And thank you’.
They then had a good old yarn. Bart happy in the knowledge the champers wasn’t wasted – and that his former protégé was making a name for himself as a trainer.
Wehlow says he learned a lot from both trainers
“They fed and worked their horses much the same – but Bart’s horses always improved more when they went to Melbourne.”
I get the feeling Greg might have sorted that out too.
So sad – Bart Cummings was not just a champion trainer – he will be remembered as a champion bloke who let his record do the talking, unlike so many other mentors of the modern day.
He was also sharp as a tack, quick-witted and master of the one-liners. His best – the well-worn and famous response to the Health Inspector who told him one day he had too many flies at his Sydney stables.
“How many can I have,” he asked?
SKY REFUSES TO RELOCATE ITS INTERESTS OUTSIDE OF SYDNEY OR NSW
SKY was at it again on Saturday – falsely claiming Rockhampton was the venue for the meeting that was actually staged at Yeppoon.
There was no association with the RJC whatsoever.
Same thing happened when Townsville raced at Home Hill earlier in the year.
Is it to encourage TAB turnover?
We have said before SKY Thoroughbred Central should be renamed Sydney or NSW Central.
The snub of Mackay last week in terms of time allocation compared to the meeting at Cessnock was a disgrace. While horses were parading for a race at Mackay viewers were forced to put up with some ear-aching, inane post-race interviews, including that of a jockey who is about to be naturalised. Unlike his interviewers the jock didn’t even want to talk about it. The switch to Mackay by the way, came when they was about to jump.
ROCKHAMPTON CLUB ABOUT TO LOSE ITS THIRD CEO IN THREE YEARS
ROCKHAMPTON Jockey club is about to lose its third CEO in three years with the sudden resignation on Friday of popular Bill Colgan who announced on Friday he was retiring and would be returning to New Zealand.
Bill has been a very effective CEO winning the confidence of licensees, members and the public, which is not an easy ‘trifecta’ in today’s cut-throat and forever changing world of racing.
Whispers continue about the replacement of Darren Condon at Racing Queensland and a high profile CEO from another Queensland club is the current favourite.
Currently the million dollar man, Ian Hall (he’s on $20,000 a week and has the job until March, at least) is on a whirlwind tour of the state urging clubs to tighten their belts as RQ, he says, in serious financial difficulty. Fears persist that non-TAB clubs face a doubtful future.
Suffice to say there is little doubt the Townsville track replacement would have materialised if work hadn’t begun when it did.
The racing world just hopes that RQ and its soon-to-be-decided Board gets the priorities right. That has been a major failing with the past two racing boards and has left the industry in tatters.
Meanwhile, the first jump-outs will be held over all distances on the new Cluden track on Friday with official trials set down for the following week.
HOT SAGA UNLIKELY TO CONTEST CAIRNS CUP DESPITE DOOMBEN WIN
EVER-consistent Cairns-owned stayer, Hot Saga, is not likely to be among the Cup nominations this year in spite of his brilliant win at Doomben on Saturday.
Hot Saga, owned by leading trainer Fred Weiland and trained now by former Tolga horseman Gary (Jack) Duncan, has been a model of consistency this campaign and connections eyeing bigger fish in the south after overcoming a nasty eye ulceration sustained at Toowoomba in May.
It ruled him out of staying events over the Brisbane winter carnival but trainer Duncan is hopeful of heading south in the spring.
“He's now won three of his last four starts but he had an off day last run and wasn't suited by the slow pace,” Duncan said.
“I don't think we've seen the bottom of him yet.
“I think in the long term he'll make a good Ipswich or Caloundra Cup horse next year,” said the trainer.
COLUMN COURTESY OF TERRY BUTTS AND THE NORTH QUEENSLAND REGISTER, one of Australia's leading rural newspapers.
TERRY BUTTS can be contacted by e-mailing: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
