Why One Horse Is Never Enough
How good was it to see Heman muscle up and blow away his rivals at Doomben on Saturday?
In case you weren’t aware, Heman was named after the superhero character from the Masters of the Universe cartoon franchise, which is part of several animated television series, comic books, and a toy line.
It’s fair to say some of those superhero characteristics came to the fore on Saturday with Heman showing his true fighting qualities to post his second win for the Queenslanders and give the Rogues a great start to the battle for the Big Cash in Month 12 of TRL Season 4.
Now that was a WIN, arguably the biggest and the best the NSW Tycoons have had in their short and successful history.
Estatdio Mestalla ran his rivals ragged in a stunning upset to win the $200,000 Listed Winter Stakes at Rosehill Gardens – the feature race on the card.
It was even sweeter because it was so unexpected. Sure, plenty of Tycoons kept the faith and had something small on, but hand on heart, how many actually thought he could win, particularly when he blew out to $61 at jump time?
MUNCE MAGIC
This is where the care and dedication of Chris and Corey Munce, along with their staff, come to the fore.
The team always suspected Heman had some issues with his feet. When his feet were right, he would let down and look like a real nice horse.
On other occasions, he didn’t fire and the stable has worked extremely hard to rectify his feet, including changing the bedding in his stall and the wearing of pads on his front feet to keep the soil out.
“It was really, really satisfying, you have no idea on a personal point of view for Chris and myself to get this horse back into the winners’ stall is
“Obviously, he’s been frustrating at times, missing the kick, getting back in his races, and not letting go, which probably can all be traced back to his foot issues.
“The horse now is finally comfortable and happy.
“First up, 1350m, there was a lot of merit in the way he won, and we’ve always known he has a good level of ability.
“Finally, a lot of credit goes to our farrier for getting him right, and very satisfying for all concerned to get him back in the winners circle.” Corey Munce said.
Heman hitting the finish line
HARLEY MR POPULAR
Popularity as a jockey can be short-lived, but Martin Harley was certainly the pin-up boy for the Qld Rogues after saluting with Heman in Race 4 at Doomben.
Heman can often miss the kick and lack some early tactical speed, but Martin had him nice and handy on Saturday.
“That was very pleasing, off the back of one trial to go straight to 1350 meters and be so strong.
“We just stayed off that rail to give him plenty of room. I think he enjoys the space and the room.
“The tempo did slacken, which forced me to move out on the turn a bit earlier than I would have liked.
“He showed a real good turn of foot, and the best thing is he’ll take good improvement from that; he had a decent blow on pulling up.
“Full credit to Chris, Corey and the team, he’s had a few niggling problems, so they’ve done a great job to get him right.” Martin Harley added.
WHAT’S NEXT
Well, at this stage, it’s all blue sky for Heman and connections.
Chris and Corey report that he has pulled up well, and they will give him a few days to recover, in a paddock, enjoying some grass, before pulling him back into the stable.
“He’s pulled up nice, looks in magnificent order, and has trotted up nicely.
“If we can keep him well, we will look at 3 weeks between runs, and that should be perfect for him,” Corey concluded.
That looks like Doomben on October 25.
Heman, the Rogues’ very own Master of the Universe
Heman