“When he bounded out of the gates and settled in the first half of the field I was confident he’d be in the finish,” said Shoalhaven Heads trainer Terry Robinson.
These were Terry’s words after the six year old Lord Desanimaux finally got his act together to score an emphatic win in Saturday’s TAB Highway at Randwick - the trainer’s seventeenth Highway since the concept was introduced by Racing NSW in 2015. The gelding came into the race with the unimpressive win record of just one victory from thirty one starts. His place stats were much healthier with twelve seconds and four thirds.
“Many form students had written him off as a non winner, but slow beginnings had dogged him throughout his career,” said Terry. “Time and time again he’d settle down among the tailenders. He’d give away huge starts but sometimes register smart sectionals. On Saturday he jumped beautifully and was never far off the leaders. He had them covered a fair way out.”
Lord Desanimaux put it all together to score an emphatic win in the TAB Highway - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
“The horse came to me from the breakers as a very arrogant two year old. We had him gelded immediately but his arrogance lingered for a long time. I didn’t think he’d ever learn to stand correctly in the gates and jump away with the field. It was heartbreaking to watch him walk out of the gates time after time. We always knew he had any amount of talent, but he refused to do the right thing on race day.”
Lord Desanimaux’s win on Saturday came exactly two years after his only previous victory in a Maiden Plate at Kembla Grange. Frustratingly he’d registered ten minor placings in between those two wins. “He should have won three or four more races by now,” said Terry. “The whole time he was throwing races away, he was working times at home that would have won an open class race.
His attitude has changed noticeably of late, and we’re all hoping Saturday’s win will be the turning point.”
Lord Desanimaux is a half brother to the year younger Art Cadeau whose racing record is impeccable. The son of Artie Schiller hasn’t been further back than second in eleven runs (5 wins and 6 seconds for $614,000). He’s already the winner of the Country Championship Final in April, and will run among the favourites in next Saturday’s $1.3 million dollar Kosciuszko at Randwick. His light racing schedule is a direct result of his aversion to constant racing. Terry Robinson was alerted to this fact early in the horse’s career.
Art Cadeau wins the 2020 Country Championship Final - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Art Cadeau went for a lengthy spell after his Country Championship win and has been in “cotton wool” since the beginning of his current preparation. He had a jump out at Nowra more than a month ago, before contesting a 1000m Hawkesbury trial on September 27th. He finished second in that trial to dual stakes winner Trumbull, with talented Anagain in third place. Fourth placegetter was Aim, impressive winner of Saturday’s Silver Eagle.
The five year old rounded off his Kosciuszko preparation with a rousing gallop at Nowra early on Sunday morning with Tara O’Brien in the saddle. He worked with stablemate Golly I’m Lucky and put a smile on the face of his trainer. “He’ll go into the Kosciuszko as fresh as a daisy, and I’m confident he’ll be very competitive given a decent barrier draw,” said Terry
Terry rarely works more than 15 horses but his strike rate is one of the best in the industry - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
The half brothers Lord Desanimaux and Art Cadeau were bred by owners Mick and Joy Lill from their Hurricane Sky mare Jewelled Gate. The Lills raced Jewelled Gate who won five races in the care of trainer Leanne Aspros including the The Nivison (listed) at Randwick. She also won races at Rosehill and Warwick Farm. Perhaps the best performance in her twenty one start career was a close third in a stakes race at Flemington over the 2008 Melbourne Cup carnival. She struck interference in the race which prompted her jockey to fire in an unsuccessful protest.
Queensland born Mick Lills has led a diversified life. His career as a Rugby League hooker started in Rockhampton before leading him to a place in the Queensland state side against a “red hot” NSW team in 1964 and 1965. Young Mick shared the paddock with immortals like Reg Gasnier, Johnny King, Johnny Raper and Graeme Langlands. “To this day I can’t believe I was on the same turf as players of their status,” he said.
Mick later held a trainer’s licence in far north Queensland and is credited with winners in Mareeba and Cairns. The knowledge gained in those years has served Mick well during his journey as an owner and a breeder. He learned the basics of pub management when he held the tenancy of a Carlton hotel in Mareeba. That experience would lead him to the ownership of the landmark Earlwood Hotel in Sydney where he spent many happy years. “I sold out in 1998 and decided to settle in beautiful Berry on the NSW South Coast,” said the 81 year old.
Mick’s broodmares are at home under his supervision for most of their gestation period, but he sends them to commercial studs when they’re due to foal. “It makes good sense to let them foal at the home base of the stallion they’ll be visiting a short time later,” said Mick. “For instance Jewelled Gate is due to foal to Astern shortly and is booked to the same stallion this year. She’ll foal at Darley Stud’s Hunter Valley arm where Astern is located.”
Mick knew of the Robinson family’s legendary reputation long before he moved to Berry. When it was time to appoint a trainer for his homebreds, Mick knew he needed to look no further than Terry Robinson’s nearby Regal Lodge stables. It was a case of two horsemen being on the same wavelength, and the association has flourished.
Mick Lill, (at left of photo) with Terry after Fortune Path's win at Nowra 18/06/2019 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
It’s well documented that beach work has been a feature of the Robinson training regime for generations. Several members of the family have used the infinite stretches of South Coast beaches to bring both thoroughbreds and standardbreds to peak fitness. Despite his 66 years, Terry has continued to ride much of his own trackwork at the Nowra racecourse, and on the spectacular Seven Mile Beach near Gerroa. There was a beach gallop five weeks ago he’d prefer to forget.
“I was riding a mare behind a pacemaker and we were hooting along a bit, when my mount caught sight of something,” said Terry. “She shied uncontrollably and left me airborne. The impact knocked me out, so it was a while before I got the bad news. I sustained rotator cuff damage to my left shoulder and extensive rib cartilage bruising. You can imagine how sore I’ve been since the fall. I’ve also had a touch of vertigo which hasn’t completely resolved. Obviously I haven’t been on a horse since and may not be for quite some time.”
“Robbo” rarely lets his team numbers exceed fourteen or fifteen horses. He gives tremendous credit to his work rider Tara O’Brien who previously spent eleven years with Gwenda Markwell at Kembla Grange, and actually had a brief stint as a race rider. Tara left the industry for several years to start her family but was quick to respond when a vacancy arose at Regal Lodge. “Tara’s a great rider and a tremendous asset to the operation,” said Terry.
“She’s riding everything in the place at the moment and doing a super job.”
With Brock Ryan after Roseirro's win in a TAB Highway at Rosehill 18/01/2020 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
The lifting of Covid restrictions has put a spring in the step of Terry’s wife Monique who looks forward to restarting her twenty horse trail and beach riding business for locals and weekend visitors. A former trainer and trackwork rider, Monique is well qualified for her role as a riding instructor.
Not even prolonged soreness and a touch of lightheadedness could keep Terry away from Randwick last Saturday. “Lord Desanimaux wasn’t going to win without me,” said the trainer. “I’ve lost plenty of sleep over that boy and wanted to be there when he finally put it all together.”
The wizard of Shoalhaven Heads can’t wait to get to headquarters next Saturday for the fourth running of the Kosciuszko. Art Cadeau’s consistency and fighting heart have endeared him to his trainer. “You know he’s going to give it his best shot every time he goes out there,” said Terry. “Wherever he happens to be in running, he won’t stop trying until Tommy Berry calls a halt. He’s a trainer’s dream.”
A win by Art Cadeau would give him the distinction of becoming the first horse to complete the Country Championship/ Kosciuszko double. There’s not a person in the industry who wouldn’t like to see a little piece of racing history go the way of Terry Robinson.
(Banner image - At last! Lord Desanimaux jumped cleanly and won Saturday's TAB Highway - courtesy Bradley Photographers.)