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Why I love Phelan Ready

Roar Guru
30th July, 2015
8

Former Magic Millions and Golden Slipper winner Phelan Ready has been retired, and while I love the eight-year-old gelding, I have to say about bloody time!

I wasn’t even old enough to bet when Phelan Ready completed the Magic Millions two-year-old into Golden Slipper double.

However I would always watch the Saturday racing with mum and dad, and if we were out and about we would listen to the racing on the radio in the car.

Some might say that this was bad parenting exposing an impressionable kid to gambling at 15, but my parents are also realists and knew that sooner rather than later I would be exposed to gambling.

So rather than shelter me from it and tell me “gambling is the devil”, they taught me a valuable lesson – “always bet within your means, never chase your losses, and never bet what you aren’t prepared to lose.”

Now 21, those words still ring in my ears, and being a small punter I find joy in reading form and attempting to find longshots that could realistically win races.

During January of 2009 I developed a growing interest in a horse called Phelan Ready, trained by father-son combination Bruce and Jason McLachlan.

To this day I don’t even know why.

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He finished close to six-and-a-half lengths behind the Magic Millions race favourite in Paprika. But as I learnt on that day, anything is possible. So I told dad he needed to place $5 on Phelan Ready, and the old man ended up collecting a couple hundred dollars from the local TAB.

Since that day we have tailed in on most of his runs, despite Phelan Ready becoming a bit of a Shane Watson-type horse – he could produce some good performances but there was also the real stinkers.

There were thrills – I still love the Group 1 Golden Slipper win later that year at 25 to 1 odds. There was also some brave performances, such as finishing behind Danleigh in the Group 1 Manikato at just under a length at good odds later that year, in what would’ve been one of the most impressive years a horse could have.

What about the Group 2 QTC Cup where he had Shane Scriven on board and finished a length second behind Varenna Miss at 30 to 1? Phelan Ready would always provide a few good runs at long odds to place.

Then after four long years since that amazing Golden Slipper, Phelan Ready won another race – nothing special, just a handicap first up, in what will be his final preparation as a race horse.

It must have felt like Christmas for connections when he won on the Gold Coast two weeks later, beating out Falino and Mishani Warrior.

The runs since have been sad to watch as Phelan Ready hasn’t finished higher than sixth in his last seven runs.

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Jason McLachlan revealed after he was well beaten on Sunday at the Sunshine Coast that he will be retired from racing.

“He will be nine (on Saturday). I will be very sad to see him go he has been fantastic for us,” McLachlan said.

“I know they like to bag him but I reckon all those who give it to him would love to have a horse which won nearly four million dollars.”

Being a gelding, Phelan Ready won’t be going to the breeding barn and instead will likely head to England where part-owner Bill Harris will have him as a dressage horse.

Phelan Ready has 59 starts in his career for four wins and 13 placings, accumulating $3.7 million in prize money.

He provided me with some great thrills and fond racing memories, and I love him because of it.

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