Racing should cash in on the popularity and interstate rivalry of State of Origin, the Rugby League extravaganza, although the Australian Turf Club preferred Victorian Ciaron Maher over the home-town boy James Cummings regarding Leilana Lodge.
Perhaps the $110,000 cherry that came with Maher for improvements to the Randwick stable assisted with the final decision from the cash-strapped club that even bypassed the iconic Gai Waterhouse – Adrian Bott proposal.
While the ATC smoulders in the heat of bad decisions Rugby League lived up to the “better than all the rest” on Wednesday night with the Queensland – New South Wales clash. A slugfest mixed with superb play.
NSW were too cocky, made more so by an early try. Played a half-fit horse, Nathan Cleary. Great as he is, State of Origin is no battleground for a champion. The bomb sight of Zac Lomax was sadly centimetres astray, but NSW will be better for the decider on their home track.
Consider a State of Origin jockey’s series to correspond with the Rugby League? For instance, this year the Saturday with special races before the Brisbane, Perth and Sydney clashes. With Brisbane, it could blend with the winter carnival while elsewhere it would give spark to the dead-end of the season.
The New South Wales team would be: Tim Clark, Tom Berry, and Josh Parr, Victoria: Blake Shinn, Nash Rawiller, and Craig Williams, South Australia: Jamie Kah, Rochelle Milnes, Kayla Crowther, West Australia: Damian Lane, Willie Pike and Mark Zahra. And Albo could do a Donald Trump and declare New Zealand an Australian state. James McDonald, Jason Collett, and Michael Dee could participate.
Team riding would be out of the question. No elbows or facials. Little whinging about penalties, perhaps the price Waterhouse paid for being very much against the ATC’s attempt to sell Rosehill.
With the Cummings clan, Lady Gai has been a major contributor to Randwick and Australian turf in general.
Cummings at Leilani Lodge, the venue which contributed much to the greatness of Bart Cummings, grandfather of James, and in the family for a half-century, would have been a plus for NSW but he now heads to Hong Kong, testimony to his skill as trainer. Honkers only dabbles with the best.
Maher has possibly the biggest training operation ever in Australia, a credit to him but the industry here is becoming confined with a few outfits clogging up fields. Waller had the first four placegetters in the opening Canterbury event on Wednesday.
Bart Cummings was imported to break the grip Tommy Smith had on Sydney. A big cheque was not required by the Australian Jockey Club, then in control of the NSW and Randwick, now a rundown relic of its former magnificence. The AJC even considered cutting Smith down to fewer starters in every race to break the monopoly.
Owners objected. They wanted horses with Smith and no doubt the same argument can be applied to Maher. But racing would have benefitted with the James Cummings contribution, albeit not as substantial as it was when he was the playmaker for Godolphin which has four acceptors in the intriguing Switzerland at Coolmore at Royal Randwick on Saturday with the promising Kerguelen, jumping classes, the third reserve. Waller also has four.
Punters prefer races with a spread of trainers. Sydney is better with the input of Bjorn Baker and Joe Pride to break the Waller numbers, and Maher, too, plays a role.
Already renting substantial NSW real estate, Maher has the superb training property at Bong Bong purchased by Racing NSW to make it the “Newmarket of Sydney.” Few, if any, could afford the rent.
I am disappointed Edward Cummings was NOT given the opportunity to train out of Leilani Lodge