Mandalong Tapit didn’t beat a star studded field in winning the Christmas Cup at Gunnedah on Saturday, but the sweet actioned grey put them away by an emphatic 5.8 lengths. The five year old is one of a small number of horses registered as rigs in the Australian Stud Book. Rig is the veterinary term used to describe those male horses born with one undescended testicle.
This relatively rare condition doesn’t necessarily impede the reproduction capabilities of the horse in question, and it certainly doesn’t impact on racetrack performance. It made no difference to Thunder Gulch in the mid nineties as he charged to nine wins from sixteen starts including the Kentucky Derby - Belmont Stakes double. He later sired some notable stakes performers including Point Given who won the Preakness and Belmont Stakes double in 2001.
It’s unknown whether Mandalong Tapit’s anatomical flaw was disclosed when he brought $300,000 at the 2017 Magic Millions Yearling Sale, knocked down to Mandalong Park proprietor Riccardo Pisaturo. There seems to have been a fascination with the precious few sons and daughters of American super sire Tapit to be offered in Australia. The stallion has sired 27 Group 1 winners in the USA , including three winners of the famed Belmont Stakes.
The few Tapit yearlings to appear in Australian sale rings have been the progeny of American mares covered to southern hemisphere time. One of that select batch is three year old gelding Love Tap who recently went from a Nowra Maiden win to a 4.3 lengths demolition job on the opposition in the Gr 3 Gloaming Stakes in just three months. He then finished fourth to Montefilia in the Gr 1 Spring Champion Stakes, and the fact that he hasn’t appeared since would indicate he went straight to the spelling paddock.
Mandalong Tapit returns to scale after his Gunnedah win - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
The slow maturing Mandalong Tapit won three races from sixteen starts for Warwick Farm trainer Gary Nickson - two at Newcastle and one at Gosford before being transferred to Mitchell and Desiree Kearney at Hawkesbury. He had only a handful of runs for the new stable and should have gone close to winning a BM64 at Hawkesbury when he finished a good third after a slow start.
Riccardo Pisaturo elected to retire the son of Tapit after a couple of indifferent runs and actually gifted him to his son Henry and daughter-in-law Verona who live on a property on the outskirts of Tamworth. The original plan was to use the handsome grey as a stock horse sire, but his obvious soundness and positive attitude prompted Henry to give him one final preparation with experienced local trainer Sue Grills.
He made his debut for the Grills stable in a BM66 at Muswellbrook on September 3rd, his first outing in almost three months. After looking the winner for a few strides he wound up in fifth spot only a length from the winner. He followed up with a second at Armidale and then came a luckless tenth in a BM58 at Muswellbrook, when he got no galloping room at any stage in the straight.
He struck a Heavy 10 track at his next assignment when he convincingly won a Cl 3 at Coonabarabran and looked very comfortable in the going. Sue had been feeling for some time that the grey preferred the sting out of the ground, and her judgement was vindicated almost three weeks later when he “jarred up” in finishing third on a hard and fast track at Quirindi.
The Gunnedah track was classified as a Soft 6 before racing began on Saturday and may have been a shade worse after a brief storm passed over early in the day. Mandalong Tapit box seated in third place from the inside gate, before easing outside the heels of leader Wickmo on straightening for home.
He looked like a horse with more wins in store as he put six lengths on the opposition in a twinkling.
From left - Kevin Edmonds, Duncan Hill, Henry and Verona Pisaturo, and Sue Grills at the Christmas Cup presentation - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
It was a very significant win for popular apprentice Yvette Lewis who’s ridden the five year old in four of five runs for her boss Sue Grills. The Christmas Cup win completed a double for Yvette who’d won an earlier race on Call Me Brad for Tamworth trainer Lesley Jeffriess. More importantly it was the young jockey’s 50th winner in just sixteen months of race riding.
Yvette was born and reared in the tiny hamlet of Tingha in the Inverell Shire, and was riding at an early age - just what you’d expect from the daughter of a former jockey. Yvette’s mother Virginia Heron rode successfully in the region before making a good fist of training in later years.
Yvette was fortunate to gain a start with Sue Grills at the end of 2017 and took to stable life like a duck to water. She worked hard, learned quickly and was ready for her first race ride eighteen months later. The youngster showed a natural understanding of pace when she led throughout to win a 1600m Class 1 Plate on Hammoon Dancer for her delighted boss.
Yvette followed up with a flurry of winners over the next few weeks, quickly gaining the support of local trainers. The winners were flowing freely when she suddenly became aware of lethargy and general malaise. Tests revealed the presence of glandular fever, which put her on the sidelines for an agonisingly slow six weeks. The young jockey quickly picked up where she’d left off and has posted a healthy strike rate right through 2020.
Yvette Lewis notched her milestone 50th win on Mandalong Tapit at Gunnedah - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Sue Grills has been pleasantly surprised by the support of racehorse owners throughout a nightmare year. “Like most trainers I honestly expected a dramatic reduction in horse numbers, but the opposite has happened,” she said. “I think people have been starved of entertainment. I’ve actually had people asking me to put them into horse ownership. There’s no better diversion than racing. If you can’t go to the track you can watch the terrific coverage on Sky Racing.”
There are few better qualified horse trainers than the former Ms. Sue McGrath. Her father Max was a talented jockey and trainer in his own right, while her maternal grandfather Arthur Gore was a widely respected trainer in the north and north west of the state. He rarely missed when he travelled a horse to Sydney or Brisbane in the 60’s and 70’s.
As a youngster Sue spent a lot of time at the Somerton stables of master horseman Keith Swan, another bush trainer whose judgement was seldom astray when he decided to run a horse in Sydney or Brisbane. Her brother Ron “Yogi” McGrath rode his share of winners in the region, many of them for the Swan stable.
Sue made her riding debut at a time when female jockeys were as rare as a blue diamond. She was in fact the only professional female rider in the area, when she won her first race on Majoriole at Inverell. Despite a dearth of opportunities Sue persevered for around four years, booting home 34 winners. She has fond memories of two wins on a very good bush horse called Drop A Note, and a Barraba Town Plate win on Sylvan Boy. “It was like winning the Stradbroke,” says Sue.
The horse to launch Sue’s training career was Double the Ton. She was fortunate to take over his training when Keith Swan passed away, winning first up with the son of Double Century at Inverell. She later added the Gilgandra, Barraba and Inverell Cups to Double The Ton’s CV.
Sue with Mikayla Weir at Gosford 2019 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Her all time favourite is Border Rebel with whom she won 14 races and posted 5 placings for $623,000 in prize money. At one stage the little gelding registered amazing winning statistics - six straight, ten out of thirteen and later thirteen out of eighteen.
He won the listed Hinkler Quality at Eagle Farm twice and the listed Takeover Target at Gosford. All up he won eight metropolitan races in Sydney and Brisbane. Perhaps his best run was in defeat - a fourth beaten only 3.2 lengths in the Doomben $10,000 won by Beaded. Not surprisingly he was NSW Country Horse Of The Year in 2010.
Sue loved the tough and hardy warrior Ollie Vollie who had 93 starts for 19 wins and 22 placings for $657,000. He won on all four Sydney metropolitan tracks and posted wins at Eagle Farm and Doomben.
The talented trainer was bitterly disappointed when a little chestnut mare called Fickle Folly broke down after only seventeen runs. She won three races in Sydney including a TAB Highway at Rosehill, before troublesome bone chips terminated her career.
Sue with Corey Brown after a Warwick Farm win with Fickle Folly in 2018 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
For three years Sue guided the career of one of Australia’s most brilliant apprentices of his era. Tim Bell was a wonderfully gifted young jockey who won a Brisbane jockey’s premiership at age 20. He was making rapid progress in Singapore when he lost his life in a freakish accident.
Having lost his house keys, he was trying to climb onto a ledge to enter his apartment through the kitchen window when he fell twelve floors to his death. News of the tragedy swept the racing world and left Sue Grills devastated. “I’ve never seen a more natural hoseman,” she said. “He could master the most difficult of horses. Tim was on his way to the elite level when his life was taken from him. It was a massive shock to all of us at home.”
In more recent times Sue was the master of hard working jockey Wendy Peel who’s about to get back into the saddle after sustaining a broken hip in a Brisbane “jump out” accident. Wendy spent most of her apprenticeship with Sue before an eight month stint with Rodney Robb at Nyngan. Her indentures were transferred a few months ago to Eagle Farm trainer Paul Butterworth. She’d ridden her first ever metropolitan winner just a few days before her fall. “A talented rider and a glutton for work,” says Sue. “She’s a tireless worker herself and had the ability to get workmates into the same zone. Wendy deserves every success that comes her way.”
Sue and Wendy Peel combined to win a heat of the Rising Stars Series at Tamworth with Montana Pines 2019 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Sue’s thirty two horse team doesn’t currently include the quirky but talented Burning Crown, winner of six races and $233,000. The son of Helmet sustained a knee injury at Port Macquarie in early October and will be absent for around six months. “He leaps and bounds during his races and simply over extended one knee,” said the trainer. “He’s his own worst enemy. If ever he learns to gallop fluently he’ll be a very good horse.”
You’d be hard pressed to find an Australian trainer who wouldn’t like to have a son or daughter of boom sire Shamus Award on the books. Sue’s fortunate to be training three year old gelding Without Shame who won his maiden at the Mudgee Cup meeting last Friday. “It was only his third start and he did a good job to come from midfield,” said the trainer. “There’s a lot to like about him. We’re looking forward to taking him through the grades.”
Sue has had to exercise great patience in waiting for Danebrook to deliver on the potential he’s always shown. Knee chips have restricted the son of ill fated Hinchinbrook to just seven race starts. He was placed four times before notching his maiden win at Dubbo in June, after which he put in a “shocker” at Scone. The bone chips were quickly dealt with and into the paddock went Danebrook. Sue gave him one run at Moree on October 30th for an easy win in a four horse field and hasn’t produced him since. Her intention is to bring him to Sydney “fresh up” for a Class 3 TAB Highway over 1000m at Randwick on Saturday December 12th.
In her trademark humble manner Sue said she really didn’t know how many winners she’s trained but my research indicates the figure is well over 700. She also forgot to mention that she was voted NSW Country Trainer Of The Year in the 2014/2015 season.
I doubt Danebrook will be her only city runner before Christmas. Don’t be surprised if a certain long striding grey makes a metropolitan appearance in around three weeks time. You can’t be too confident of rain arriving at this time of year, but Sue will be hoping for a shower or two when Mandalong Tapit comes to town.
(Banner image - Mandalong Tapit had almost 6 lengths to spare at the end of Saturday's Christmas Cup - courtesy Bradley Photographers.)