But I Know’s jockey Andrew Adkins may have been the only person confident of victory in the middle stages of Saturday’s TAB Highway (1800m) at Randwick.
Many punters had given up when they saw the mare trapped three wide and over racing approaching the 800 metres. Their hopes plummeted even further when Adkins elected to let her stride approaching the turn, where she was pushed even wider.
To the astonishment of supporters and her connections, But I Know had the cheek to cruise up to the leaders before dashing clear at the 200m. Understandably she was feeling the pinch on the line, but continued to rally and didn’t want Ambitious Prince to get past her.
Andrew Adkins has ridden the mare three times for two wins and a second, and rates her highly. “I knew connections and supporters would wonder why I got going early, but I honestly thought she was the best horse in the race and rode her accordingly”, said the young jockey.
Image courtesy Bradley Photographers - Ross Stitt has known Andrew Adkins since the youngster was apprenticed to Mark Quinn at Port Macquarie. Here's Andrew winning on But I Know last Saturday.
But I Know took the eye of respected trainer Ross Stitt at the 2017 Gold Coast Yearling Sale. “She was a stunning looking yearling and has now developed into the most magnificent of mares”, said the Taree trainer.
Most bush trainers prefer young horses with sprinting pedigrees because of a dearth of middle distance races in country regions. Ross Stitt has always fancied a strong staying pedigree.
The veteran trainer is a devoted fan of But I Know’s sire, the ten times Group 1 champion So You Think. He didn’t have to look far to identify some strong staying blood on the filly’s distaff side.
But I Know is the first foal of Pendolin, winner of four races including one at 1900m. Pendolin is a daughter of Pentire, sire of sixteen Group1 winners including 2015 Melbourne Cup victor Prince Of Penzance. Pendolin in turn is out of the unraced Gondolin, a daughter of the mighty Zabeel.
Ross secured the So You Think filly for $45,000 and quickly put together an ownership syndicate. He retained a share himself, brothers Max and Dallas Stitt took shares as did friends Col and Lorraine Davies, Brett Smith and Will Robson.
Image courtesy Trackside Photography - Ross Stitt trains out of Taree but knows when to bring one to town.
Ross was surprised when the brown filly showed some natural brilliance in her first serious preparation. He was even more surprised when, as a late two year old, she beat older mares in a Taree maiden over 1305m.
Next preparation she had two kind trials before resuming over 1450m at Muswellbrook with Robert Thompson up. Connections knew something was terribly wrong when the filly showed no dash from the outset, before finishing a distant last of thirteen runners.
An ultra sound examination revealed a slight strain of the check ligament behind the near knee and the paddock beckoned.
Thirty seven weeks elapsed before But I Know resumed in a Class 1 at Taree over 1250m with Robert Thompson in the saddle. “She finished a close third but should have won with something to spare”, recalled Ross.
Twenty six days later the mare stormed home from last to finish fourth in a 1400m event on Tuncurry-Forster Cup day, after which jockey Luke Rolls reported she was looking for at least 1600m.
Ross decided to bite the bullet and head to town for a Cl 2 TAB Highway of 1500m at Rosehill - still short of her preferred distance but the only race available. The trainer decided to utilise the services of Andrew Adkins, a young jockey who’d been apprenticed to Mark Quinn at Port Macquarie before transferring to Ron Quinton at Randwick. “I knew Andrew during his time at Port and had been closely watching his progress in Sydney”, said Ross. “I could see he’d developed into a very serious rider”.
Ross hoped for genuine speed in the Highway and that’s exactly what he got. With a frantic pace up front, But I Know travelled mid field and was still spotting them a tidy start straightening for home. She took fifty metres to hit top gear before hurtling home to swamp the leaders, looking every inch a budding stayer.
Image courtesy Bradley Photographers - But I Know appreciated a fast pace when she stormed home to win at Rosehill September 28.
Two weeks later the lightly raced mare went to a 1600m TAB Highway at Randwick and repeated the effort in finishing second to Emanuela. She was a conspicuous last early, got going from the 600 metres only to be pushed very wide on the corner. She was strong on the line and lost no admirers.
That stout staying pedigree came to the fore over 1800m last Saturday when nothing went right, but she still managed to score a gritty win.
Ross and his co-owners are pretty excited about But I Know’s next assignment at Rosehill Gardens on Golden Gift day November 9th.
The daughter of So You Think will finally stretch out to 2000 metres in the Country Classic, a set weights race for horses who’ve had at least their last three starts for a country trainer. “Obviously she’ll need a genuine pace and we’ll be hoping she doesn’t get too keen, but it’s the right race for this girl’, said Ross after Saturday’s win.
The trainer says But I Know is possessed of a wonderful temperament and is one of the cleanest winded horses he’s ever trained. “She barely blows after a race or a strong track gallop and this means I don’t have to overtax her between runs’, says Ross. “ She’s a stayer on a sprinter’s training programme”.
Image courtesy Bradley Photographers - Ross says But I Know is one of the cleanest winded horses he's ever trained.
Ross Stitt has established a distinguished reputation for his ability to keep horses racing generously for long periods. A quick look at the records of his most successful horses reveals some astonishing statistics. Critic’s Pride (29 wins), Our Ambition (23), Gilded Blue (25), Dapper Spirit (10), Just Dapper (13), Chile Dapper (18), Shoemaker (13), Precise Timing (18 including Launceston and Toowoomba Cups) and Stop A Punch (37 wins).
Ross has been a dominant force on the northern rivers throughout his forty five year training career. He’s won nine mid north coast premierships and has an imposing Cups record - Taree Cup (3), Port Macquarie Cup (3), Lismore Cup (3) and South Grafton Cup (1). Surprisingly you’ll find 3 Dubbo cups on his CV. He took a frustratingly long time to win a Kempsey Cup, finally cracking it with Single Spirit in 2015 after eight or nine seconds in the race.
Ross unselfishly sent Heavenly Glow and Youthful Jack to other trainers when he realised they were potential Group performers. He won five races with Heavenly Glow before dispatching her to the Alan Denham stable in Sydney. Under Denham’s tutelage she won a Gr 1 Arrowfield Stakes, a Gr 1 Australian Oaks and a Gr 3 Doomben Roses.
Youthful Jack won four two year old races with Stitt before going to Denham for whom he won five races including a Gr 2 Royal Sovereign Stakes.
The astute Stitt later sent him to Adam Trinder in Tasmania where he won three listed races. He went back to Trinder for the same treble a year later, this time winning one of them.
Youthful Jack was later to give Ross one of his most satisfying moments in four decades of training. Following his second Tasmanian foray “Jack” came home to Taree for a lengthy spell, after which he was set for the prestigious Ramornie Hcp at Grafton. He went into the historic sprint ‘fresh up” and came from last to score a thrilling win.
Image courtesy Trackside Photography - Ross and Robert Thompson after Youthful Jack's brilliant Ramornie Handicap win.
Ross is now 78 years of age and has reduced his workload considerably. He rarely works more than fifteen horses and has cut back on his travelling to race meetings. He says another three or four years will just about see him out.
Why then would he have ten two year olds in the stable by stallions like Casino Prince, Denman, Better Than Ready, Outreach, Sizzling and Artie Schiller. Just imagine if two or three of those youngsters are still racing well at six or seven years of age.
Nobody can keep ‘em going better than Ross Stitt.
Image courtesy Trackside Photography - Another Stitt TAB Highway horse - Fair Dinkum wins at Kempsey for Mikayla Weir.
(Banner image courtesy Bradley Photos - But I Know hangs on gamely to win the TAB Highway at Randwick.)