Sporting Legends & Yearling Parade

May 27, 2021

By Terry Kennedy

What a cracking day…aren’t those horses beautiful!

That was the overwhelming feedback from The Racing League’s inaugural yearling parade with a difference last Sunday at the Wyong Racecourse.

 

I say with a difference…because how many yearling parades are launched with a Sporting Legends lunch before moving outside to not only watch twelve high priced yearlings parade but four of the juveniles actually going through their paces on the track. Owners were represented from all four TRL teams with owners coming from Melbourne, the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Coffs Harbour and Canberra just to name a few that travelled to be part of the sell-out event.

 

When you have three Aussie champions like Laurie Daley, Mark Waugh and Tye Angland sharing their candid tales of success on the sporting stage along with the thrills of race horse ownership it was always going to be a special stage. Mark, who likened the thrill of owning a winner “like scoring a century at Lords”.

Laurie’s story of celebrating harder when his horse Emmalene won over the Flemington carnival than when his Canberra Raiders won the NRL Premiership. While Tye relived the thrill of piloting Alverta at Royal Ascot and in France along with his well documented association with Trapeze Artist.

Now to the parade, with owners expectedly taken through each horse by TRLs Head of Bloodstock Mick Malone and Shannon Betts who’s been breaking in the horses at Emeran Park. Shannon knew every characteristic of each of her “babies” while Mick was “super impressed by the way they have all come on” since he saw them last at the fall of the hammer in the sales ring.

Most owners had their favourites and they all differed as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but one thing all owners had in common was the “love of the horse”. Most of Shannon’s babies will now be sent to their respective trainers you selected to continue their education.

Let the fun begin.