The Doncaster: a race that rarely disappoints

The Doncaster Mile (1600m, Group 1, handicap), formerly the Doncaster Handicap, is one of the greatest races on the Australian racing calendar in my opinion.

It’s usually a large, top-quality and extremely competitive field. The punter can get incredibly juicy odds about very good gallopers.

And, if you take a look at the honour roll, the majority of winners have been stars of the turf over a sustained period of time.

Then there’s Gai Waterhouse’s dominance. I know Gai isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but you have to admire her phenomenal record in the race.

The first lady of Australian racing has saddled up the winner of the time-honoured race a staggering seven times – a record she holds jointly with her late father, Tommy Smith.

Pharaoh (1994-95), Sprint By (1996), Secret Savings (1997), Assertive Lad (2001), Grand Armee (2003) and More Joyous (2012) – the 59-year-old oversaw every part of their preparation and had them peak when it mattered most.

She knows how to ensure her charges bring their A-game on grand final day.

So, with the 2014 renewal of the great Group 1 race upon us, here’s a look at some of my favourite Doncaster moments.

Gunsynd – 1972 (Trainer: Tommy Smith / Jockey: Roy Higgins)
I wasn’t alive to see the ‘Goondiwindi Grey’ dominate the sport in the late 60s and early 70s, but I’ve come to know his story well.

And as someone who loves the sport, I’m glad I do.

Gunsynd was a crowd favourite due to his grey coat and appetite for the contest. He had a tremendous will to win, and remains one of the best grey horses in Australian racing history.

The son on Sunset Hue was sent off as 10/9 favourite in the 1972 Doncaster Handicap, despite being allotted 60kg.

The impost mattered little, though, for this champion, winning by 3/4L, one of his 29 victories from 54 starts.

To say Gunsynd loved the mile would be a massive understatement. His record over the trip from six starts is wins in 1970 Fernhill Handicap, 1971 AJC Epsom Handicap, 1971 Toorak Handicap, 1971 VRC George Adams Handicap, 1972 Doncaster Handicap and second, beaten a half head by Triton, in the 1972 Epsom Handicap.

Emancipation – 1983 (Trainer: Neville Begg / Jockey: Ron Quinton)
Another grey, another champion. The mighty mare’s Doncaster win, as a three-year-old, was one of her six Group 1 triumphs, while four of them were recorded over the mile.

The daughter of Bletchingly, who was 9/4F and started from gate five in the 20-horse field, carried 54.5kg and won by a length under Ron Quinton, who partnered her to 15 wins at listed level or better.

Incredibly, Emancipation never raced as a two-year-old. Racing only at three and four, she won 19 of her 28 starts.

Super Impose – 1990 and 1991 (Trainer: Lee Freedman / Jockeys: Bruce Compton – 1990 and Darren Beadman – 1991)
‘Super’ is one of my all-time favourite racehorses and his back-to-back Doncaster wins, couple with consecutive Epsom Handicap successes in the same years, are Australian racing folklore.

In 1990, Lee Freedman’s five-year-old chestnut gelding had 57kg and started from the extreme outside (barrier 20). With Kiwi Bruce Compton in the plate, he wasn’t fancied, starting at 20/1, with Stargazer the 13/2F.

It was a last-to-first performance that was simply breathtaking.

As John Tapp called it Super was “jumping out of the ground”. The son of Imposing was back at Randwick the following year to defend his title.

Darren Beadman had the mount this time around and he drew better in gate 10 in a field of 20. He did have to carry 59.5kg, though.

He went off at 10/1, with Shaftesbury Avenue, who he nailed 12 months earlier, the 7/2 favourite. The rest, as they say, is history.

What a champion.

Over – 2000 (Trainer: John Hawkes / Jockey: Darren Gauci)
Let me share an interesting, and humorous anecdote. I was in the country town of Stawell in Victoria for the famous foot race, the Stawell Gift.

My mates and I were at one of the pubs in town on the Friday, checking out the form for the weekend. As we waxed lyrical over a beer, a chap who had overheard our conversation came up to us and said, “Boys, let me tell you, Over is a weighted certainty”.

We were young and cocky at the time, not that much has changed other than being much older and having a few grey hairs, and while polite enough to Mick, we wouldn’t have a bar of it.

How could Sunline possibly be beaten? It seemed unthinkable. She was the best horse going around and one of the best we’d seen. Not to mention the fact she’d helped pay off our Uni fees.

If only we’d been wise enough to listen Mick.

The Kiwi champion, who’d won the race 12 months earlier, was the 11/4 favourite to repeat the dose, while Over, trained by John Hawkes and ridden by Darren Gauci, was 8/1.

A classic two-horse war evolved, Sunline and Over were ahead of the rest of the field.

The mare looked home for all money and just as we were about to start smarting at Mick, who’d professed Over was over the line a day earlier, the classy colt, with the benefit of a 6kg pull in the weights, rallied to do what most couldn’t, run super Sunline down.

This was not part of the script. At least not for some.

Sunline – 2002 (Trainer: Greg Childs / Jockey: Trevor McKee)
Now a six-year-old, Trevor McKee’s marvellous mare was back for another crack at Group 1 glory over the Randwick mile.

Having won it three years earlier with 52kg, Sunline would have to carry 58kg if she was to win her second Doncaster.

In another capacity field of 20, punters thought and wanted her to do it and sent her off the 15/8 favourite.

Greg Childs, who was by now part of the furniture, took Sunline straight to the front from gate seven and after seeing off Ha Ha – who’d eyeballed her since the gates crashed back – dashed clear at the top of the rise.

The superstar was again labouring over the concluding stages, but displayed all of her champion qualities to see it out.

Two pretty handy gallopers in Shogun Lodge and Defier filled the placings.

I’m pleased to say she again carried my money and I must confess that after breathing a sigh of relief, I had a little chuckle as I went to collect at the same pub TAB that we’d watched the race at in 1999.

Private Steer – 2004 (Trainer: John O’Shea / Jockey: Glen Boss)
Seeing really is believing here and to this very day, I still can’t believe John O’Shea’s brilliant mare won this race.

The daughter of DanehIll Dancer had no right whatsoever to win this. Starting the 3/1 favourite, Private Steer jumped from barrier 13 and with Glen Boss steering, got herself in more trouble than Burke and Wills.

Her triumph ranks alongside Lonhro’s unbelievable Australian Cup win in the same year. After finally seeing daylight having run into dead-end after dead-end, the freakish four-year-old displayed a turn of foot that’s rarely seen.

Only special horses do what she did.

And remember, that’s the tough-as-nails Grand Armee, a multiple Group 1 winner and defending champion, she’s pulling away from.

Bossy, while known to go overboard from time to time, was gob smacked after the race. And on this occasion he had good reason.

“I was thinking of excuses,” he said. “I just tried to remain calm and trust in her ability. “At the 50m she broke clear and made up so much ground I couldn’t believe it. It’s incredible what a soft win it was in the end.”

More Joyous – 2012 (Trainer: Gai Waterhouse / Jockey: Nash Rawiller)
Back when leviathan owner, John Singleton, and Waterhouse were on talking terms, their champion, More Joyous, was dominating middle distance races Down Under.

So, fitting it was that this regally bred daughter of More Than Ready would add the prestigious Doncaster Mile to her CV. It was her eighth Group 1 success and took her prizemoney to nearly $4 million.

And she wasn’t done with. Post-race, a jubilant ‘Singo’ said: “Joy to the world mate, joy to the world. It’s been a wonderful ride with his horse. She is just a freak. And Gai is a genius – imagine what racing would be without her”.

While we know how that partnership ended, Singleton and Waterhouse were full of admiration for More Joyous. And rightly so, for she was racing royalty.

I’m sure we’ll see another worthy winner of The Doncaster Mile at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

Good horses go to the gates. A champion usually returns to the winners’ enclosure.

What are some of your favourite memories of The Doncaster?