If you are going to upstage a supposed regal coronation, best to do it with a raucous bunch of self proclaimed battlers in jeans, black country and western shirts and cowboy hats.
The script for Racing And Wagering Western Australia’s inaugural Western Trilogy was meant to crescendo with the anointment of wonder filly Amelia’s Jewel as the new princess of the sport.
She was good, very good, and she will turn heads as a Queen in the east and on the world stage soon enough, but in the busy, almost rabble rousing ending at Ascot on Saturday, the $4m Quokka perhaps delivered a better story.
The corporate heavyweights were all there to roll out their slots for the big money - Ladbrokes, Sportsbet, TABTouch - but it was the Rockingham Ram syndicate, the name from a truck dealership 40km south of Perth who backed a 36 strong (it seemed like 100 in the mounting yard) squad, old footy mates from Scarborough Amateurs, Swan Athletic and Northam days along with random friends who love the punt, horses and obviously a drink who landed the $2m kicker with Overpass.
And fittingly they got racing’s court jester Bjorn Baker to provide the horse and naturally join in the fun, (last seen trying to squeeze into a Quokka suit) and Josh Parr to keep that smile that never seems to wear off shining in the western sun.
Just think a fair bit of boot scooting, bad karaoke singing and unadulterated pandemonium and that takes you into the rollicking Ascot winner’s stall after the Quokka.
It’s not meant to be like this, not so much a blue collar group as black on Saturday, but the Quokka delivered and proof again that everyone can play the big game in Australian racing.
“When they announced the Western Trilogy, we were sitting around having a few beers and thought up this silly idea we’d get a slot in the three races (the $1m Nullarbor of the trots and $500,000 Sandgroper for the dogs) never thinking we could land it,” said syndicate leader Stuart Campbell.
Those beers were had at syndicate member Cameron Byers place in Malaga where in lockdown he set up a bar in his workshop called Hammers and Stuart and a few other were inaugural members.
“We thought we’d be up against it with the big boys, betting agencies, breeders and the like but we thought to have a shot we’d try for a slot in the three races, we had a committee of seven, and Stu put it together and submitted it to RWWA,” Byers said.
“Then we basically shit ourselves when we got the slots and worked out the money and what we needed,” he said.
A Quokka slot was worth $200,000, a Nullarbor $70,000 and a Sandgroper $44,000, plus GST!
Enter mates Michael Pedley and Gary Lyon from Rockingham Ram, the Ram being those massive American Utes (trucks really), who underwrote the first $40,000 of the deal. Then there were mates within mates like Adam Fletcher, a property developer who worked with Medley and enjoyed long Friday lunches and racehorses with fellow “committee” members in Subiaco.
“I think in the end we retained a bit more than 60% between us then we opened up 36 shares at $3000 each for one percent,” Byers said.
“There are 36 involved but then you have wives and girlfriends and family and its a bloody big group."
Campbell said the group took the big picture approach that embraces the essence of the Trilogy and racing in general.
“We wanted to give the average person a crack at it, we made it affordable, threw the word around, you could take as many shares as you like, it was a crazy idea, races like The Everest are for the big boys, not people like us, but we just wanted to get as many people involved as possible."
“We love WA racing, there are people in the group who races horses and have small shares and some who don’t know much at all but I can guarantee you they will all be owners after this,” he said.
The cowboy theme was drummed up to suit the spirit (and Ram link) and it was absolutely impossible to miss them over the Trilogy weekend.
Cannington Friday night and their dog Elite Machine slipped into third returning $50,000 (before ownership shares) to the kitty. It wasn’t any joy at Gloucester Park soon after with well fancied Lavra Joe only beating one home in The Nullarbor.
So to Overpass, and now don’t think these lads were just throwing aimlessly at the stumps.
“We started with a list of 65 horses which we narrowed down to 12,” said Campbell.
“We wanted a horse to suit Ascot, knowing Amelia’s Jewel was a back-marker we wanted an on pacer.”
Byers had approached Peter Moody about I Wish I Win but quickly learned the top level eastern state sprinters were not coming or interested.
Plan B! Kissonallfourcheeks was top of the next list as they thought Dan Morton would take Elite Street for his slot. It bled but Kissonallfourcheeks got a throat infection.
He approaches Peter Capararo, managing owner of Resortman, fourth to Amelia’s Jewel in the Roma Cup. But there was always Overpass waiting and that wait was right up until Group I T J Smith Stakes day morning.
“Let’s just say we were lucky to get the downpour in Sydney that morning,” said Campbell when Baker scratched Overpass from the T J due to a heavy track.
It was more personal for Byers. “My son was in a basketball grand final, they were unbeaten through the season and they were seven goals down at half time and I was just looking at the scratchings and when that red line went through I was running around the court like a red Indian.” (The boys got beaten too).
Baker’s boy Sven though was a winner on Saturday, claiming $50 off his dad with a proviso bet on the Quokka result.
“I thought it was $100, but I’ll give him the $50. The deal was if we lost I could only have three beers, but if we won I could have 1000,” Baker chortled.
And he was in the right crew to start the 1000. Last to leave the track after a session in the brilliantly named Stone Motherless Bar at Ascot, they regrouped at the historic Broken Hill Hotel in Victoria Park Saturday night.
Byers spoke with only five percent of his voice left Sunday morning but soldiered on with the syndicate and Baker to continue the 1000 chase at the Sandbar in Scarborough.
“I’m still on eastern states time, so I’m well ahead, though my wife had to kick me out of bed at 3am on Saturday to sort out trackwork, but what an amazing weekend, great to have the whole family here on school holidays and I’ll be coming back.”
“They (the RAM syndicate) approached us and we struck up and agreement they stuck by us when we pulled out of the T J, It was the right call and here we are,’ he said.
It’s been well documented that Overpass stayed with Amelia’s Jewel’s trainer Simon Miller and Baker graciously noted a fantastic landlord and his horse a mighty rival.
It’s fair to suggest Overpass may never beat Amelia’s Jewel again, but to the Rockingham Rams and to Baker and the Darby Racing syndicate, who bought him for just $75,000, its an irrelevant discussion. There is now $3.6m in their prize money bank but sharing much of that $2m from Saturday with the RAM lads.
As a two-year-old Overpass won it’s first race at Orange, the quaintly named Silver Apple, but worth only $30,000. She’d win at Warwick Farm mid-week and Gosford before stepping up to a Group 2 Expressway before a habit of big money returns in the Inglis Sprint at Flemington. A second to Nature Strip in The Shorts underlined the ability that was needed to win a Quokka under suitable circumstances on Saturday.
Naturally Baker was already spruiking an Everest slot availability come the next spring, a race it ran sixth in last year. Amelia’s Jewel may yet end up there as well, but then what’s next for the Rockingham Rams?
“We have to dream big,” said Byers.
“It’s a pipe dream of mine to get an Everest slot. We’ve got a bit of profile now through this, but in the next couple of years, could we pull it off?”
After this weekend, who would say no.
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