Kerry Packer launched a punting offensive at Royal Randwick on Anzac Day like no other, a feat which shares equal billing this week with Adelaide, once the launching pad for racing greats.
Morphettville on Saturday shows signs of its former spark on the opening program of the autumn carnival have rekindling memories of Bart Cummings, Col Hayes, George Hanlon and John Hawkes, South Australians who made racing great.
Of course, they had the assistance of local saddle topliners including Billy Pyers Pat Glennon, Jim Johnston, and John Letts.
Alas in recent decades South Australia and Adelaide isn’t what it was but then Randwick will never see an era when Packer plunged with seemingly endless ammunition, mainly against Bruce McHugh, the bastion of bookmaking boldness.
A media mogul, Packer gambled and played business giants in millions. Alan Bond ran a distant second. The Australian Jockey Club committee came to heel at Packer’s call, he changed the face of cricket, and was also heavily involved in Rugby League and Rugby Union.
Still he didn’t have the clout of Peter V’Landys, the current Mr Big of Racing and Rugby League, captured recently by Mark de Stefano in the Financial Review’s “The Plot to Get Peter V’Landys.
Ironically Anzac Day this year is followed by Bookmaker’s Recognition Day with free entry at Randwick for racegoers, tragically absent recently at The Championships but not a problem in 1987 when Packer cut loose.
Still the fielders at Randwick today with races named in their honour, Jeff Pendlebury, Tom Bingle, Terry Maskell and Neville Walters never had to skirmish with Packer yet put in hard mileage for racing, supplying a service that had gone far beyond just opening a bookmaker’s bag to get a favourable result.
As the mood took him Packer attacked at Randwick over the autumn of 1987 but became aggressive on Anzac Day.
Turnover figures showed at the previous Randwick meeting on April 22 the bookmaker’s income, with Packer a scratching, was $6,775,000. Three days later the Big Fella exploded, being the major contributor for a rise to $52 million.
The income at Randwick on Saturday by comparison will be more like a back street two-up game. McHugh’s turnover jumped $44 million on Anzac Day compared to the corresponding program in 1986.
After a highly successful Sydney autumn, Randwick on Saturday is more bread and butter. The spotlight has shifted interstate, particularly Morphettville but the Quokka at Ascot in Perth leads with prizemoney of $5 million. And the rampaging Bjorn Paker is chasing his third Quokka with Overpass.
But Morphettville, too, is strong with Sydneysiders against the major local Phillip Stokes on ground level and Jamie Melham, formerly Kah, who made her name in Adelaide. Maybe in 38 years down the track Ms Melham will be acclaimed with Billy Pyers and the others.
Jamie Melham handles Polymnia, from Randwick, in the Group one Australian Oaks for the O’Shea – Charlton partnership but I fancy Movin’ Out, a Chris Waller filly, who will have the services of Ben Melham, husband of Jamie.
Waller always has a plan and the quick backup for Movin’ Out, after a Mornington success against moderates last Saturday looks an ideal stepping stone. A New Zealand-bred Movin’ Out is owned by Yu Long Investments and another Group one contributor will add to its status amassing Australia’s supreme brood mare team.
Cinch, too, will be strongly supported in the Oaks. She is trained by the Hayes boys, Ben, Will and J.D, grandsons of Colin, who founded Lindsay Park that gave South Australian racing it’s biggest boost.
Cinch, winner of her last three starts at Sale, Launceston and Morphettville, hardly equals Royal Ascot where Asfoora, a contender in the Group one Robert Sangster, scored in the King Charles at the elite level but over a fraction longer than 1000 metres. The 1200 metres at Morphettville is the query with her.
Commemorative and Climbing Star, tuned by Stokes and successful in the sprint last year will be comfortable with the distance.
James Cummings, grandson of Bart, trains Commemorative, second at Randwick last start with James McDonald abroad from a wide gate. J-Mac must have lost his compass considering the ground Commemorative covered. Again, the I Am Invincible four-year-old launches from 15 in the Sangster but Blake Shinn, while not the “world’s best jockey” like J-Mac, leads the Australian tally at present. I would be comfortable with Greg Hall or Jim Cassidy from that gate so why not Shinn?
Hall was favoured by Packer. Shortly after the Anzac Day battle McHugh retired. Some reports indicate the Packer involvement. McHugh makes no secret that Packer could well have sent him back to being milkman from whence he came, but I reckon it was more the wind of change for bookmakers.
Who won between them? Among other business ventures McHugh went into hotels, fruit barns, fish shops, and a massive storage venture.
But he didn’t operate following Anzac Day. Shortly after he received a telephone call from the AJC, figuring it would be an invite to the club lunch for his service to racing.
No, the club wanted him to expediate the $1 million (2.25 percent) turnover tax on is holdings over the period.
