Scott Brunton was in disbelief when the pony sized colt stepped off the transport a week after the 2017 Adelaide Magic Millions Yearling Sales.
Scott’s father, former top trainer David Brunton had inspected and acquired the son of Dundeel for $90,000. “ He was the most expensive yearling to ever come into our stables, and certainly the smallest”, said Scott. “ Dad does all of my yearling sale work, and is an excellent judge, but I thought he was wide of the mark with this midget”.
David Brunton, a Tasmanian Hall Of Fame inductee is better qualified than most to source a likely prospect. He spent many years in the role of stable foreman for legendary Victorian trainers Angus Armanasco and Noel Kelly, before setting up shop in Tasmania. With son Scott under his wing, David won seven Tasmanian premierships before his retirement a couple of years ago.
The Dundeel colt’s tiny stature didn’t help when the time came to form an ownership syndicate. “ As small as he was, there was something about him”, said Scott. “ He walked like a much bigger horse, and was as cheeky as they come”.
That cheekiness extended to nipping and biting, and a constant tendency to buck and pig root whenever he had a rider on his back- a trait that persists to this day. “ He was gelded at eighteen months, but it didn’t make much difference”, says Scott. “ He’s by no means nasty. He’s just a pest’.
By the time he was ready to race, the syndicate comprised over twenty owners. “ Most of them work in the trades, but his breeder Andrew McFarlane retained a 10% share”, said Scott.
Just over half of the ownership syndicate made it to Randwick for the Silver Eagle. Full attendance is a certainty at Rosehill on November 2. Courtesy Bradley Photos
The trainer had the job of naming the perky yearling. He simply worked on the basis that when a deal is done ( Dundeel) the rest is inevitable.
“Some of the owners didn’t think much of the name at first, but eight wins and $679,000 later they don’t seem to mind it “, explained the trainer.
Scott Brunton’s training location is often described as a ‘horse heaven”. He’s based at Seven Mile Beach, a stone’s throw from Hobart airport and has the option of slow work in heavy sand, or fast work on firm sand during low tide. His horses are able to access the beach by a network of sandy trails.
Five consecutive trainer’s premierships are testimony to the benefits of a unique environment. With one meeting to go last season he was stuck on 98 wins, desperately hoping he could “crack the ton”. He had six top chances on the final day of the season, but heavy rain forced the abandonment of the meeting.
Scott at home with another member of his team, the talented Mandela Effect - courtesy Tasracing
Scott realised very early in the piece that The Inevitable would have to be taken along very carefully. “ I didn’t have a lot to work with, so it was a case of hasten slowly”, said the trainer. “ He had only one 2YO start in June of 2018, for an unlucky third at Elwick after which we put him away again”.
The Inevitable resumed in September to win a 3YO Maiden at Mowbray with Siggy Carr in the saddle, and then came another “freshen”. He reeled off two more 3YO wins on the same before Xmas last year, followed by a comfortable win in the Listed Tasmanian Guineas in mid January at Elwick.
Siggy Carr rode him flawlessly in all of those wins, and retained the ride when Scott decided to test the water in the Gr 3 C.S. Hayes Stakes at Flemington in February. The little bulldog commanded more press space than ever before when he outgunned the towering Age Of Chivalry.
Siggy Carr gets The Inevitable home over Age Of Chivalry in the Group 3 C.S. Hayes Stakes February 2019 - courtesy Racing Photos
Two weeks later the little bloke contested a strong Gr 1 Australian Guineas finishing 8th, but received two mentions in the stewards report. He struck some interference at the start, and was found to be suffering heat stress post race.
This time in, the diminutive bay has shown the benefits of a very light racing programme and the wonders of maturity. Siggy Carr looked after him in a soft trial win on the Devonport Synthetic in late July, before another excursion to Melbourne was put into place.
Scott had intended to run in the 1200 metres Aurie’s Star, but switched to a BM 90 over the 1000m trip when he and partner Tegan Keys drew the conclusion that he was a little on the “soft” side. It turned out to be the right call. It was his first time on pretty heavy ground and he just scrambled in with Michael Poy in the saddle.
Adhering to his usual policy of spacing the little gelding’s runs, Scott didn’t start him again for 28 days. With Craig Williams up, and returning to a firm surface The Inevitable looked the best he’d ever looked as he bolted away to win a 1200m Listed event at Moonee Valley by a widening 4 lengths.
The arrogance of the Moonee Valley win convinced the trainer that the son of Dundeel was worthy of a trip to Sydney and a shot at a couple of elusive Eagles. Scott fell in love with Sydney in the mid 1990’s when he spent six months working for Grahame Begg at Randwick. “ I promised myself I’d come back one day when I had the right horse”, said Brunton.
The trip to Sydney should have been a smooth process, but turned out to be a nightmare.Scott decided to travel stablemate Our Shanakee with The Inevitable on a two leg flight to Sydney via Melbourne. “ I thought the presence of a travel mate would keep him calmer on the flight, and in the loading and unloading process”,he said. “I should have known we were in for a long day when the 8 year old Our Shanakee got more stirred up than the little horse did”.
The situation worsened when the Melbourne-Sydney flight was unceremoniously cancelled. “ A frantic phone call to Platinum Horse Transport saw a truck despatched urgently to Tullamarine”, said the trainer. “ While waiting we unloaded the horses from the plane and walked them for fifteen or twenty minutes”.
The arrival of the Tasmanian contingent into Sydney didn’t eventuate until Wednesday afternoon, twenty four hours later than planned. “ I was pretty uptight about the whole schmozzle “, Scott confessed.
The trainer needn’t have worried. His ultra professional racehorse turned up for the Silver Eagle on Saturday in his usual cocky mood, and got the job done in emphatic fashion.
Here was a situation where one of Sydney’s tallest jockeys was riding one of the nation’s tiniest racehorses. “ I heard Nash had actually shortened his stirrup leathers a couple of holes to avoid looking like John Wayne when he mounted up”, said Scott over the weekend.
Starting favourite at $3.00 The Inevitable travelled mid field off a strong pace and had the luxury of tracking second favourite Fasika. He appeared to race just a little too keenly in the middle part but to no ill effect.
The equine Mickey Rooney disdainfully nudged Legend Of Condor out of the way on the turn, and tracked up the rise just outside Fasika’s heels.
The best part of his race was his last hundred metres. He stuck his head out like a horse who knows exactly what he’s about, to score the most professional of wins.
The little warrior knows where the winning post is. Here he is getting the better of Fasika. Courtesy Bradley Photos
Nash Rawiller summed it up best when he said The Inevitable gallops like a much bigger horse. “ You can’t believe it’s the same horse . The length of his stride really surprised me”, said the champion jockey.
Come Sunday morning you wouldn’t have known The Inevitable had endured a horror journey from Tassie, and a strong 1300 gallop on Saturday. “ He pulled up far better than he did when he won at Moonee Valley “, said Scott. “ He even lightened off a touch after that run, giving me cause for concern going forward. This time it hasn’t fazed him at all”.
The four year old is enjoying his luxury accommodation at Paul Fudge’s magnificently appointed Waratah Thoroughbreds property at Moss Vale. “We have everything we need right on our doorstep”, exclaimed Scott. “For our little horse it’s a home away from home”.
Scott’s partner Tegan Keys rides the horse in all of his work at home, and will continue the practice in Sydney. “ The horse has got a few tricks, but Tegan is a jump ahead of him”, says Brunton. “ He can get rid of an unsuspecting rider in a flash, but he knows Tegan is awake to his little game”.
Scott with the attractive Silver Eagle trophy
- courtesy Bradley Photos
Special tribute is due to the Silver Eagle winner’s remarkable dam Gift Bouquet who died last year at almost twenty four years of age. The daughter of dual Gr 1 winner King’s High was trained in the 1990’s by the late Peter Hayes. She won a couple of two year old races in SA, one of them at listed level before her form trailed away.
She had two foals already on the ground and was in foal to Jeune when purchased for $9000 by Andrew McFarlane at a Lindsay Park Dispersal Sale. One of those foals, All Success won 9 races in Macau, while her Jeune colt died.
From all reports she was on the small side herself, but proved to be an amazing matron for her new owner. Every one of her fourteen named foals made it to the races, and eleven of them won- three stakes winners included. The Inevitable was her fifteenth and last foal, and by far and away the best of her progeny.Scott Brunton unhesitatingly declares him to be the best horse he’s ever put a saddle on. “We’ve had a couple of million dollar earners in Lady Lynette and Hellova Street through our Tasmanian stables, but I’ve never had one like this little dynamo”, chuckled the trainer. “ I know he doesn’t look much, but you can’t see the V8 engine under the bonnet. That big motor will need to be purring if he’s to be a threat in the Golden Eagle on November 2nd”.
Scott Brunton’s the first to admit he laughed out loud the first time he set eyes on The Inevitable.
He stopped laughing a long time ago.
Some of the Brunton team stretch out on beautiful Seven Mile Beach near Hobart Airport
Banner Shot - Bernadette Cooper's pony Spinner, stands only 15.2 hands, but towered over The Inevitable at Randwick - courtesy Bradley Photos