Joey Ramsden
It has been a slow start to the week with my getting back from the sales in Joburg. It was a busy weekend as obviously they were selling on the Friday in Joburg and we had Holly’s birthday party on the Saturday, which I flew back for, before flying back to Joburg on the Sunday for the 2nd half of the Ready to Run sale.
We managed to snap up one so it is my job and duty to try and get him in for next year’s Emperor’s Palace Ready to Run gala and prize money. He is a smashing little Captain Al which I liked very much at the National Sales so I was very pleased to eventually get my hands on him. This was the easy part; now we face the tough job of getting an entry.
I felt that the quality of this sale was high and, as always, there was a very good show put on by all. Personally, I felt that prices were reasonable. There were a few downcast faces but as a whole, the horses sold for what they were worth.
Some possibly went for a little more than what they are worth but this happens in every sale in the country. Thankfully this is another sale put to bed and I am looking forward to our own Cape Ready to Run Sale that is a matter of weeks away. Holly’s party on the Saturday was great.
We had a mechanical bull which provided great entertainment and saw me off a good few times. Never tackle a mechanical bull after having a Ruby Murray (curry) the night before would be one of my key safety tips. Nausea aside, it was a lot of fun. I have to say that my wife, Fee, did particularly well and appeared to be the most proficient rider on the bull, which bodes well for the future. Amanda Carey was not too far behind her in style and boldness.
We had another reasonable weekend where most of the horses ran well. We are still not fully hitting our mark yet and I am keen to start seeing this happening soon. Not only did we have an action packed card from Joburg but the Europeans seem to have an extremely strong Breeder’s Cup.
It was good to see my old friend, Charlie Hills, land his first Breeder’s Cup winner in his 2nd season of training with Chriselliam winning the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies. The Ramsden family have been lucky enough to know the Hills family for centuries – or so it seems.
Charlie, in only his 2nd season of training, seems to have got it right. This was not just a great win for Charlie but also for English champion jockey, Richard Hughes, having his first as well. I cannot think why it has taken him so long to ride one but I guess it just goes to show how competitive it really is out there.
The Melbourne Cup was run this morning. It was expected to be dominated by Europeans which is what ultimately happened. A European-bred horse, Fiorente, won the race, trained by the charismatic Gai Waterhouse and ridden locally by Damian Oliver, both extremely controversial figures. It was bought at the horses in training and good luck to the person who selected it and imported it into Australia.
No Bull! Joey shows a champion seat
The second and third horses were trained in Newmarket by Ed Dunlop and Luca Cumani and had the added drawback of being drawn in the low twenties, an extremely difficult task if you are ever at Flemington racecourse. Both ran their socks off and Red Cadeaux in general is a beast.
He seems to improve kilograms when stuck on an aeroplane and expected to race elsewhere in the world. A truly remarkable horse and a truly remarkable training achievement by Ed Dunlop. Another weekend of bygones and it was exciting to see an old inmate of ours, Copper Parade, win the Listed Golden Loom Handicap 1000m up in Joburg for Hedley McGrath and Peter and Val Fenix.
This win gave me a real rush of pleasure and I am sure even more so for them. Well done to Yvette and her whole team. Taking nothing away from Copper’s superb win but there must be some up and coming youngsters sneaking up around the corner from somewhere, isn’t there?
The Premier League football seems to be getting back to its old ways with the two Manchester teams thumping their opposition and Chelsea fluffing their lines. One thing is certainly no surprise; West Ham, playing with their four-six combination certainly aren’t going to score too many goals. Unless we get ourselves some sort of striker, we are going to be in real trouble soon. Anyway, exciting weeks ahead and I am very much looking forward to it.
