EMILY -- darling EMILY -- She's going so fast, my bloggery can't keep up with her ....
Beginning where I left off ...
Invercargill. 6 July. Wendy back at Gerolstein. I, in Yamba, a little bit souffrant. But I simply had to climb that hill, up to the Pacific Hotel, to watch our wee girl run ..
So, I wobbled up the hill, with my walking stick, and -- with a little help from a passing lady -- made the pub. I settled down with my lonely (forbidden) pint and waited. And waited. Watched greyhounds running in Puddlesby-in-the-Bush. And eventually came to the realisation that Sky Sport wasn't going to show Invercargill. So, down the hill I trudged (downhill is famously more difficult than up!) to get Wendy's message ... second again!
As I've said before, seconds are grand! You get a couple of thousand dollars to keep your geegee in bed and breakfast for a month, and you don't go up a class. Well, that's the system this week. But ... where's the thrill of victory?
Try again. 17 July. 17 is my lucky number. And this is the race we've been headed for. The aptly-named Winter Rewards. It's worth $25,000 in stakemoney. Enough to keep a little girl in chaff for months. Seven starters. Old friends!
Trainer Kirstin, as always, was to drive SAMANTHA'S MOON, first understudy Mark, naturally, was booked for LI'L WHIP again, so EMILY was in the hands of second understudy ... Blair Orange, New Zealand's champion driver! Last time he had driven her, they had won!
Could they do it again? Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos didn't think so. Two of them picked her 3rd, one fourth. The betting public, however, had other ideas. EMILY went out favourite at $2.50 to win! Why? The Orange roughie factor? I'd expected her to be third or fourth favourite behind the like of OUR PINOCCHIO, LI'L WHIP and even MIXED FAITH ...
Now, I'm not computer savvy. And I don't own a telephone. But Wendy sussed that (after an exhausting walk the previous day, to the market) I was not going to climb that hill again, on the off-chance. So she investigated something named FaceTime. Apparently a modern version of Skype. Which was beyond me, anyway! After half an hour, we cracked it! We could see and hear each other. And when Wendy pointed her i-phone at the TV, I could watch the races, with her, on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. With no pint, but a bottle of gin to hand .. 'just in case'!
The bottle is now empty.
Off they set. MIXED FAITH went out fast, but EMILY began like a bullet, straight to the front. And further back both dear SAMANTHA and LI'L WHIP galloped! So, then there were five. The brothers Williamson took things promptly in hand. PINOCCHIO urged affairs along in front with EMILY on his wheel, while MIXED FAITH sat parked outside her ... a scenario rather familiar! The underestimated GIFT CARD was close behind ..
Into the straight, and, as the Williamson boys got down to an impressive ding-dong, Blair slipped wee Em down the passing lane. How many times has she been narrowly pipped in such a situation? Not today! For once, I didn't have to yell for the winning post to come up soooon ...
The result says she won by half a length. That'll do. And in the fastest time of all her (now) seven wins. And that on a rather damp track.
Our little girl ..
Time for a few days off ....
Thank you Kirstin and team, thank you Blair ...
NB ... is this the first time that two brothers have dead-heated ... for second :-)
Interesting coda. The wonderful winter rewards programme had two South Island finals. One at dearly beloved Winton, the other at (to me) less-beloved Addington. At each of which, prior to today, Emily had won two races.
When I sent our girl south, one scribe snooted: 'easier' down there. I beg to differ. Comparison?
EMILY ran 3.06.00 to win her final. On a Slushy track. So, what? A second or two less inviting than if it had been a fast track? Behind her, OUR PINOCCHIO -- with his 10 metres handicap -- went 3.05.3. Nice times under any conditions, but on a less than conducive track.
The following night, ONE MHOR FOR HEATHER pipped PRINCESS SADIE (omigod HOW!!!!)) at Addington in the other Final. On a fast track .. over 200 metres further ... er.... The Mile Rate was a second slower than PINOCCHIO's ...
Ah well, that's racing! I'll be interested to see PINOCCHIO and MIXED FAITH taking on the 'Addington horses'. No, we're not going there. EMILY is a Southland girl!
One more mission, for this season. Southland has put on another fine new series with opportunity for our Emily. So we had to have a go!
Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos had kept safe this time, and picked her (drawn 1) for a place, in what seemed to be a very even race. Chock full of Willies! Six of them out of 10 starters! But also featuring a certain BRING ON THE MUSCLE which had roundly beaten our Em in a workout some time ago..
Paulie and I huddled around Facetime to Wendy ... what? the odds were a surprise! I had figured MIXED FAITH for favourite or maybe PINOCCHIO or even my sneaky pick of the non-Willie BRING ON THE MUSCLE. But no! The plunge had been for the fresh-up TORQUAY STREET, which I had been expecting to be 6th elect among the 6 Willies. It was last seen by me somewhere behind our Em, earlier this year. What? AND .. she was being driven by Emily's driver d'échange, Mark Hurrell! EMILY, PINOCCHIO and BRING ON THE MUSCLE were grouped behind at 4 or 5 to one, and MIXED FAITH was at ten to one! Well, someone clearly knew more than I!
Well, they did and they didn't.
Kirstin got EMILY away like a fusée, but team Willie evidently had a plan. Bit like a cycling race. Send the gregarii around to the front ... I wonder what might have happened had Kirstin not elected to hand up to the likes of BLACK PAT and TORQUAY STREET. Well, it is really anecdotal, because BRING ON THE MUSCLE sprinted round, led everyone a merry trot, and EMILY was left stranded four deep on the rails. You don't win from there without divine intervention!
Well, as you can see, the wee girl tried. Kirstin found a gap ...
Another placing ... love them!
Two more "Surges" ... will be interesting! Will be fun <3
The second "Surge" looked as if it would be ... well, 'interesting' is putting it mildly! BRING ON THE MUSCLE and TORQUAY STREET, having qualified for the final were not in the field, but the Willies had brought out a bigger gun! The splendid AROHA KENNY. And LI'L WHIP, which had got her hoofs in a tangle last time out, was there. Add BLACK PAT and EMILY and MIXED FAITH ...
Half the field was made up of winners of over $100,000. Yes, EMILY is in that exalted club now. Southern Racing and HRNZ's initiatives in making winter racing atractive to owners and trainers has certainly paid off in the bottom bit of the country.
Sadly (though not for her opponents) this tasty bill was, before the race, shorn of its tête d'affiche. AROHA KENNY can't have run into another fence ... but something is amiss. She has been scratched. So the field is down to seven ...
It is Thursday as I write this. Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos haven't delivered their words of wisdom yet. The TAB picks EMILY to come third ... so I don't imagine they will rate her higher. Third is fine. But ... the prize-money for her Winter series win just hit my bank today .. equivalent to the best part of six months' pension money! Hum. I could get used to the odd win!
Go, little EM'LY!
"In my sweet little Alice Blue Gown..."
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