What a day. What a thrill. WOW! The incredible thrill of owning a racehorse competing in a $1m race was felt by all owners in the QLD Rogues on Saturday. Will Saturday go down as one of the biggest thrills you’ve ever had?
Helluva Barty recorded maybe the greatest second in horse racing history when only grabbed in the final centimetres to go down by a millimetre in the $1 million Syndicate on Magic Millions Day at the Gold Coast.
Okay, maybe it wasn’t that dramatic, but for raw emotion, it was right up there in memorable sporting moments that will last a lifetime.
Just for a short moment in time, I thought we had witnessed a minor modern-day miracle when a bunch of David’s arrived to conquer the Goliaths at Queensland’s biggest day of racing.
THE RACE
Sure, he had a nice gate, but Helluva Barty jumped well, and jockey Justin Huxtable did a remarkable job to settle behind a hot speed on the fence.
He was beaten by the narrowest of margins but Justin gave him a peach of a ride.
That was only the start of the job, he settled well and tracked up into the race on corner but the question remained would he let down?
You bet he did.
“The horse has run out of his skin, he gave the indication he would run well with his work during the week and was approaching a career-best effort and he lived up to that.
He had to overcome some horses early, he was beautifully relaxed underneath me and he gave me the kick we wanted on straightening.
Unfortunately we just got caught on the line” Jockey Justin Huxtable said.
“He was so brave and got a 10 out of 10 ride by Justin” Trainer Matt Hoysted
FURTHER MERIT WARRANTED
To add further merit to the effort, Helluva Barty actually lost a shoe during the race.
Now it’s always hard to know when that happened and what impact it had – but suffice to say it doesn’t help the horse.
“He has pulled up well and trotted up well, but actually lost a shoe, that probably just emphasises just how well he has gone.
It is interesting that if you watch the replay you can actually see him change strides just before the post and decrease a little bit and I think it has cost him winning and it makes you wonder if it was because of the loss of the shoe and he was feeling the foot and that made him change strides.
He was so brave and got a 10 out of 10 ride by Justin.
Regardless of being beaten by the tightest of margins, he tried his guts out and ran a career best and we all should be extremely proud of his effort.” Trainer Matt Hoysted said
THE LARGEST WIN TO DATE
In finishing 2nd in the million-dollar race, Helluva Barty won $180,000 for owners, the biggest collect of any horse across any of the teams in The Racing League since inception!
The subsequent points have placed the Rogues firmly at the top of the ladder for Month 3 with a lead of 158,675 points. Based on the latest racing schedule for the remainder of the month, our calculations have the Queenslanders claiming 1st place for Month 3 and the $10,000 cash prize. One owner from the NSW Tycoons won the entire $10,000 last month; will one QLD Rogue owner win $10,000 for Month 3?
The huge collect from Helluva Barty has also put the QLD Rogues in pole position to be crowned season premiers where one owner will WIN $50,000; but there’s a Helluva long way to go in Season 3, particularly with the likes of Lethal Thoughts, Estadio Mestalla, Bellinger, Cool Jakey, Frumos all to race in some big races, plus there’s the emerging 2 year olds, Bellarata, Circus Girl, Sheriff’s star and Miss Trustful, PLUS new purchases for the Husslers & Tycoons that are pending (Rogues too). We are set for a sensational season ahead.
“I think we have worked him out now & we will have a lot of fun with this horse.” Trainer Matt Hoysted
WHAT NOW FOR BARTY
He will now have a very well-deserved break and it’s always a nice thing to be able to send a horse to the paddock off a career best run before they are bottomed out.
“He deserves a break now. He’s only had the four runs but has been in work for quite some time.
He will have a nice six-week spell, I think we have him worked out now and will have a lot of fun with this horse,” Matt concluded.
Enjoy the holiday Helluva Barty, it’s well deserved, and thanks for the thrill, memories and stories that will last a lifetime!
Go you good thing!
