“Can you imagine the number of track gallops those blokes have ridden for Warwick Farm trainers over the years?” The question was posed by one of fifty guests at a recent Xmas gathering hosted by seafood restaurateur and racing devotee Mick Doyle. “Those blokes” were former jockeys Tony Marney and Brian Wood who were regulars at Warwick Farm trackwork throughout their race riding careers. They’re also regulars at the annual Watson’s Bay racing luncheon.
Tony Marney (70) hasn’t been on a horse for seven years. The evergreen Brian Wood (69) hasn’t ridden in a registered race since 2014, but continues to ride work for Clarry Conners six mornings a week. In fact when the Liverpool LGA restrictions kept many jockeys away from Warwick Farm barrier trials, “Woody” donned the silks and rode in a number of trials. Conners speaks glowingly of his contribution to the stable. “You can set your watch by him,” said the legendary trainer. “He’s always on time and rides whatever I ask him to ride. He’s a highly valued member of my team.”
“Woody’s” enduring presence at Warwick Farm continues to amaze local trainers. He arrived there from NZ as a tiny fourteen year old in 1965 to take up an apprenticeship with expatriate Kiwi trainer Larry Wiggins. Barring time out with injuries, Wood has missed very few mornings at trackwork in an amazing time span of fifty six years. Marney was twenty one years old when he arrived at Warwick Farm in 1972. He was a fixture at the famous racecourse for forty two years, and still pops in during trackwork sessions to catch up with old mates.
Tony Marney gained basic riding instruction from Matamata horseman Ray Bain but later transferred to local training legend Dave O’Sullivan. He was sixteen years old when Sea Dream carried him to his first win at Matamata - he would go on to clinch a hat trick on the gelding. One win destined to provide Tony with lifetime bragging rights was an easy maiden victory at Rotorua on budding topliner Battle Heights. How could the young jockey have known this was to be the first of twenty three wins for the iron gelding which would include a Sydney Cup, AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes, W.S. Cox Plate and AJC Metropolitan. “I remember telling owner/trainer Tim Douglas the horse would probably win another race or two,” recalled Tony with a chuckle. “I rode him one more time at Te Aroha and dead - heated for third placing.”
Tony has dined out on this one! A maiden win on Battle Heights at Rotorua.
Tony’s the first to admit he had only himself to blame for a horrific race crash at Hawera towards the end of his apprenticeship, which would sideline him for nine months. “I remember very little about it, but learned later I tried to go where there was no room,” said Marney. “I was in a coma for six days after which I had to come to terms with a devastating list of injuries. The worst was a jaw broken in eight places which took a long time to come right. I remember a doctor telling me on Xmas Day1968 I would never ride again because of serious nerve damage in one leg.
“Amazingly I won at my first ride back and got tremendous support from trainers wherever I turned up. I was still an apprentice with forty NZ wins on my CV when Kiwi jockey Norm Holland recommended me for a job on the Queensland Gold Coast with a trainer called George Cobb. Later I jumped at the opportunity to finish my time with the late Pat Murray at Randwick. I’ll never forget my first morning at trackwork when blokes like Peter Cook, Kevin Langby and Neville Voigt came riding by. I couldn’t believe the little bloke from Matamata was in the company of racing royalty at one of the world’s most famous tracks. They were great days.”
Tony in the Manuan/Tullmax era - courtesy Steve Hart Photographics.
It was former trotting trainer Frank Bacon who first got Tony to ride trackwork at Warwick Farm. He soon came under the notice of other trainers because of a style which closely resembled that of Australian jockeys. “Most Kiwi jockeys at the time were still getting up a bit too high and didn’t look as neat as their Aussie counterparts. The one exception was the brilliant Roger Lang who had been my inspiration at home since I started. He crouched low and rode with a lovely straight back. Without even realising it, I had modelled myself on Roger and that helped me a great deal when I got to Sydney.”
Warwick Farm trainer Jack O’Neill obviously took a shine to the young Kiwi jockey and chased him to ride Party’s Pride in a track gallop one morning when the horse’s regular rider didn’t show up. Tony repeated the exercise on several more occasions which earned him the ride on Party’s Pride in the upcoming Warwick Stakes on his home track. “He won that race which kept me on him for the Theo Marks Stakes two weeks later,” said Tony. “He won again and that was followed by his Gr 1 win in the 1978 George Main Stakes beating Marceau and Blockbuster. I’d have to say Party’s Pride was the horse to get me going in Sydney.”
Marney’s work ethic earned him regular rides on two other grand gallopers in the early to mid 1980’s. One of them was the horse popularly known as the “Molong Mud Eater”. Tullmax was trained by the Molong Postmaster Trevor Doulman who stumbled upon a remedy for the chronic scouring complaint which delayed the geldings racetrack debut until he was a six year old. The story is well known to old timers and may arouse the interest of younger racing fans.
Trevor Doulman implemented a suggestion from Tullmax’s part owner Jack Cantrill, who told him about an old bushman’s method of controlling scouring in horses and cattle. As implausible as it seemed, Doulman added a mixture of apples and clay to the horse’s feed. Tullmax was slow to accept the strange concoction but eventually complied, and the results were spectacular. Following an amazing sequence of wins on bush tracks Tullmax found his way to the city where he reached a level undreamed of by his country connections.
“Had it not been for a chance meeting with Jack Cantrill I would never have been on Tullmax,” recalled Tony Marney. “I flew to Orange one day to ride a horse for Warwick Farm trainer Dave Sweeney. That horse got beaten and I was at a loose end until it was time to catch the flight home. Jack recognized me and offered to buy me a drink at the bar. During our conversation he told me about the horse he part owned which had put together a string of wins out west. He assured me I would have the ride when he brought Tullmax to town.”
Tony recalls his disappointment when Malcolm Johnston was on board for Tullmax’s first city win. It wasn’t the first time an owner’s promise had failed to materialise, and he quickly dismissed it. He was pleasantly surprised when asked to take over from Johnston, and went on to win six city races on the gelded son of Prince Max and the Tulloch mare Tulrigo. There was one dazzling three race sequence in the spring of 1980. “He beat the good horse Iko in the Tramway before being flattened on the hometurn in Bold Diplomat’s Epsom,” said Tony. “He finished fourth and I believe it was the one that got away. He got a pretty good consolation by winning the George Main Stakes a week later. He was a special horse.”
Tony canters to the barrier on Tullmax before one of 6 city wins.
Two years after an injury brought Tullmax’s fairy tale career to an end, another remarkable horse came into Tony’s life. Most racing fans love to see one of the smaller stables produce a nice horse - a horse sound enough and genuine enough to keep on winning campaign after campaign. Warwick Farm trainer Noel Daly came up with such a horse in the early eighties. Once the trainer recognized the affinity between Manuan and Marney, he changed jockeys only when necessary. The son of Koryo raced 96 times for 17 wins and 23 placings for $386,610.
Tony won eleven races on Manuan including a Gosford Pacesetter Stakes, a Gr 2 Ansett Cup, a Star Kingdom Stakes, two Newcastle Newmarkets and fittingly a Gr 1 Galaxy. The pair enjoyed little luck in finishing second to Brenlaine in the Elder’s Hcp (Stradbroke) of 1983.
Manuan wins the Star Kingdom Stakes from Mr Illusion (Brent Thomson) - Courtesy Steve Hart Photographics.
The late Jack Denham made a habit of switching stable jockeys when least expected. Every so often the master trainer would identify a jockey who wasn’t riding the winners his ability warranted. Suddenly that jockey would become a regular at Rosehill trackwork. Suddenly that jockey would find himself on three or four fancied Denham runners at Saturday metropolitan meetings and predictably they’d ride a flurry of winners. Tony Marney joined the chosen few in the mid 80’s, and for a few magical months never stopped winning on Denham trained horses. Wins on Maizcay in a Breeder’s Plate and Silver Slipper Stakes are among the jockey’s favourite recollections of the “Denham era”.
Brian Wood’s first win was at Newcastle on Flying Sherpa trained by Maureen Riley, relegating the great jockey Athol Mulley into second place. His first city win was at Warwick Farm on No Advice defeating Cumbandry Hope ridden by another legend in George Moore. Brian’s reputation as a “giant killer” was further enhanced in 1975 when he won the AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Kiwi mare Jandell defeating the long odds on favourite Leilani. “Woody’s” ability to ride at a featherweight assured him of regular rides throughout his long career.
He’s best remembered for his association with the brilliant sprinter Show County, a $20,000 yearling purchase who went on to race 27 times for 12 wins and six placings for $1,066,558 in prize money. In a show of loyalty rarely seen in one of the toughest games on the planet, the Doyle family dedicated the ride to Brian for the term of the horse’s racing life. He rode Show County in 26 of 27 starts, and it took a jockey’s strike to get him off on the other occasion. Fully fledged jockeys refused to ride at an important Warwick Farm meeting one Saturday in 1989. Every runner was ridden by an apprentice jockey and it was John Powell who finished fourth on Show County in the Gr 3 Up And Coming Stakes. A youthful Steven King flew from Melbourne to win the race on Patronise.
Brian Wood and Show County were a great team - Steve Hart Photographics.
Brian and his all time favourite enjoyed a fantastic journey together. Their “dynamic dozen” embraced the Breeder’s Plate, Silver Slipper Stakes, Maribyrnong Plate, Kindergarten Stakes, Skyline Stakes, Grafton Golden Goblet, San Domenico Stakes, Roman Consul Stakes, Heritage Stakes, Stan Fox Stakes, Challenge Stakes, and Canterbury Stakes. “Woody” and Show County also recorded Gr 1 seconds in the Lightning Stakes and Oakleigh Plate of 1990. A rain affected track dimmed his brilliance in the 1989 Golden Slipper, but he was still good enough to get third behind Courtza and Paris Opera.
'Woody' unsaddles Show County after one of 12 wins together - Courtesy Steve Hart Photographics.
Show County required surgery for the removal of tracheal polyps after a disappointing failure in the 1991 Galaxy. His prognosis was encouraging, but veterinary staff were startled by an unexpected development two days later. The stallion had foundered and the worst fears of the vets were realized when a pedal bone penetrated the sole of one front foot. It was a sad day for Brian, the Doyles and devoted trainer Max Wiggins when their once in a lifetime horse had to be put down.
Brian Wood and Tony Marney have much in common. Marney is the elder by just eighteen months, they’re both natives of the Auckland district and both chose Warwick Farm as their permanent Sydney home base. They were great mates throughout the four decades in which they rode in races together. Watching the Warwick Farm warriors swap yarns with the racing crowd at Mick Doyle’s annual Xmas luncheon, it was obvious their friendship continues to flourish.
Tony gets Victory Prince home over Red Anchor in 1984 Sires Produce - courtesy Steve Hart Photographics.
(Banner image - 'Tony and Woody' regularly catch up at Warwick Farm trackwork.)