Kerry Parker was in a buoyant mood long before Think It Over gave him a Group 3 win in the historic Craven Plate on Saturday. He was one of many Sydney trainers to laud the skilful training performance of veteran Les Bridge in winning the TAB Everest with Classique Legend.
Fifty three year old Parker has always said the five years he spent with Les Bridge in the mid 1980’s were the most rewarding of his racing career. “He was a great friend and a wonderful mentor,” said Kerry. “He paid me a massive compliment in 1985 when he let me take Drawn to Melbourne for the Caulfield Guineas. What a thrill it was when the little horse stormed home to win the Group 1 with a young Jim Cassidy on board.”
Strict biosecurity made it impossible for Kerry to greet Les with a good old fashioned handshake after the Everest. “I waited until he was within earshot following the Everest presentation and gave him my own little round of applause,” said Kerry. “He knew exactly what I meant.”
Twenty five minutes later he was glued to the giant infield screen as Think It Over moved into the number one gate for the 2020 edition of a race first run in 1867. Kerry had asked Glen Boss not to waste the inside draw and was happy to hold the lead if necessary. As it turned out Think It Over was handed the box seat when Quintessa strolled to the front turning into the back straight.
“From that point on Think It Over didn’t have to go around a single horse in the race,” said Kerry. “When Quintessa rolled away from the fence coming up the rise he drew clear and was never going to get beaten. He hit the line very generously to beat Nettoyer and Vanna Girl. Glen Boss has been saying for some time that there was a decent race in the horse. I hope it’s not the last one.”
Think It Over enjoyed a perfect run before winning the Craven Plate for Kerry Parker and Glen Boss - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
The son of dual hemisphere champion So You Think came to the Parker stable a year ago after having won a Goulburn Maiden and recording three placings for Randwick trainer John Sargent. “His owners Richard Johnston of Bylong Park Stud and his associate Sid Alcorn were kind enough to offer me the horse,” said Kerry. “The connection had been forged previously when I trained a few horses for Richard’s wife Christine.”
Think It Over won first up at Hawkesbury for Parker, after which a minor issue put him in the paddock for a short time. His six starts next preparation netted a strong BM win at Rosehill with Andrew Adkins on board, and two good fourths - one of them in the Canberra Cup to Mugatoo, the other in the Gr 3 Manion Cup won by Young Rascal. “He was getting better all the time and I was pretty content when he went to the paddock for his winter break,” said Kerry.
Kerry looked pretty pleased with himself after Think It Over's Craven Plate win. - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
In five runs at Randwick this preparation, the gelding has raced with great consistency. Before Saturday’s win he’d posted two seconds, a third and a respectable fifth when he did a power of work in a very strong Hill Stakes won by Kolding. Kerry is now exploring two possibilities - press on to the $500,000 Rosehill Gold Cup on Saturday week, or wait for the $1 million The Gong on his home track on November 21st.
“If he does really well over the next ten days we’ll probably go to the Rosehill Cup,” said the trainer. “If he’s not bouncing around the place we’ll freshen him up and come back to the Kembla mile in The Gong, with a barrier trial somewhere in the mix.”
Kerry’s opportunity to train a competitive stakes horse comes two years after the wrench of losing his stable star Dark Dream to the ever present lure of big Hong Kong dollars. The likeable horseman gave Dark Dream just ten starts for wins in the Gr 1 Queensland Derby, and the Gr 3 Rough Habit Plate. “His departure left a big hole in my small team, but you’ve got to push on and hope another one turns up,” he said.
Dark Dream scored a runaway win for Kerry and Tim Clark in the 2018 Rough Habit Plate. He followed that with a third in the Grand Prix before taking out the Queensland Derby. He was purchased by Hong Kong interests soon after - courtesy Trackside Photography.
Kerry Parker’s love of horses surfaced when he worked in a Kangaroo Valley trail riding business part owned by his father. A bent for horse riding led him to a stint as a trackwork rider beginning with Errol Amos in the days when Canterbury was still being used as a training venue. He later moved to the South Coast where he rode regular work for Sid Barker at Nowra, and followed that with an enjoyable sea change in Adelaide working for David Balfour.
Then came the aforementioned five year stay at Les Bridge’s Sir Dapper Lodge after which he headed down the coast again to work for his good mate David Vandyke at Kembla Grange. He’s been there ever since.
Kerry gained his own trainer’s licence in 1991, and for almost three decades has built his reputation on undisputed talent, a well known work ethic and rock solid integrity. He first came under notice as a trainer of stakes horses when he won the 1994 AJC St Leger with Gold Sovereign, who later became his first Melbourne Cup starter.
He earned wide recognition when he won some feature races with a horse called Don Raphael who’d been entered for a dispersal sale by his owner, the late Don Storey. He actually had to talk Storey into letting him train the horse before going on to win a listed Tatt’s Plate, a Gr 3 Colin Stephen Quality and a Gr 2 Saab Quality at Flemington. Don Raphael became Kerry’s second Melbourne Cup starter.
Don Raphael had been catalogued for a dispersal sale before Kerry talked the owner into giving him one more try. This is one of 6 wins under Parker's guidance - the listed Tatt's Plate Warwick Farm 2004 with Corey Brown in the saddle - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
To this day Parker rues the nagging foot issues that forced the retirement of Brilliant Light - the horse he once regarded as a potential Cox Plate prospect. He prepared Brilliant light to win a Gr 2 Ajax Stakes and a listed Royal Parma Stakes before finishing a cracking third behind Rangirangdoo and Road To Rock in the 2010 Doncaster.
Aliyana Tide was a great staying filly for the Parker stable finishing a close second in Streama’s 2012 ATC Oaks, and third to Mourayan in the 2013 Sydney Cup.
Between Dark Dream and Think It Over the trainer has simply chipped away with a few reliable stable favourites. He’s especially fond of 8 year old Tenorino who came to him after having had two previous trainers. “He doesn’t win often but he’s snared a couple at Gosford and Kembla and often gets a cheque,” says Kerry. “Virgilio is a year younger and has posted 6 wins and 12 placings for $250,000. Both horses have great owners who get a lot of enjoyment out of them.”
Kerry, who actually lives in his stable complex, has installed an overhead TV monitor very close to the boxes occupied by Tenorino and Virgilio. The Sky Racing service is going all day every day, much to the enjoyment of the two veteran gallopers. “It’s amazing to watch the interest they show in the races,” said Kerry. “They are constantly looking up at the monitor. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve got a TAB account.”
The trainer keeps his team somewhere between 15-20 horses which enables him to be totally hands on. He makes special mention of Glen Morgan who’s been a fixture at the stables for more than thirty years. “He’s the kind of bloke every stable needs. He does the million and one things that help to keep the place tidy and ticking over. I’d be lost without him,” said Kerry.
In Think It Over, Kerry has a horse in a great vein of form and seemingly on an upward spiral. The lightly raced five year old gelding has found his best form at exactly the right time of year. Glen Boss likes the horse and when it comes to a major race this jockey sniffs the battle with delight. Whether Think It Over runs in the Rosehill Cup or The Gong or both, Kerry Parker will turn him out at the top of his game.
A handsome trophy for owners Richard Johnston and Sid Alcorn after Saturday’s win. The Craven Plate has a history dating back to 1867 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
(Banner image - Think It Over scores an emphatic win in the historic Craven Plate beating Nettoyer (orange cap on the outside) - courtesy Bradley Photographers.)