As Kerry Parker walked off Randwick racecourse on Easter Saturday 2010, he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever get another shot at the Doncaster Hcp. A short time earlier Kerry’s talented gelding Brilliant Light had run a massive race to finish third, less than two lengths behind Rangirangdoo in the historic mile.
Brilliant Light was coming off a purple patch of form which included consecutive wins in the Ajax Stakes and the Doncaster Prelude. “I couldn’t believe I had a horse whose form was good enough to see him start a $15.00 chance in a Doncaster,” recalled Kerry.
“He drew sixteen of the twenty runners and our worst fears were realised when he was stuck four wide all the way to the turn. He got shoved even wider on the corner and I’d given up hope. To my amazement he loomed up to the leaders on top of the rise, and for one fleeting moment looked very dangerous. He never stopped trying when headed by Rangirangdoo and Road To Rock. Had he enjoyed a softer run, it could have been a different result.”
Brilliant Light defeating Centennial Park and Mentality in the 2010 Ajax Stakes. Two starts later he was a luckless third in the Doncaster - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Kerry had battled enormous odds to keep Brilliant Light on top of his game in the autumn of 2010. The gelding had been struggling with a separation of the laminae and hoof wall in the off fore foot. At one stage the affected area had to be pared right back, requiring a long spell and an agonising wait for nature to take its course. “Sadly his problems resurfaced later in his career and he never regained his best form,” said Kerry.
Eleven years on, the trainer finds himself with another horse worthy of a shot at one of the world’s most prestigious mile races. Five year old gelding Think It Over has emerged as one of Sydney’s most improved horses - a reputation he consolidated with a narrow but emphatic win in Saturday’s Gr 1 George Ryder Stakes. He’s looking to become the fifth George Ryder winner in thirty years to win the Doncaster in the same season. Rangirangdoo won the Ryder a year after his Doncaster win.
Think It Over joined the Parker stable eighteen months ago after having won a Goulburn maiden for his previous trainer John Sargent. He quickly won a Class 2 at Hawkesbury after which Kerry opted for the paddock. From six runs next time in, the gelding won a BM 88 at Randwick and ran respectable fourths in the Canberra Cup and the Manion Cup.
“At that stage of his career he was like a big kid,” says Parker. “He had no idea what he was doing in his races, and at home he behaved like an unbroken yearling. If somebody dropped a bucket or a rake at the opposite end of the stable he would freak out. He’s been a work in progress.”
Kerry Parker has waited eleven years to find another Doncaster contender - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Think It Over’s upward spiral was evident in his spring campaign last year. He was placed three times in Benchmark races at Randwick before a massive step up to the Gr 2 Hill Stakes in which he wasn’t disgraced in finishing fifth to Kolding in a very hot field. Then followed an emphatic defeat of Nettoyer in the Gr 3 Craven Plate after which Glen Boss gave Kerry a very upbeat assessment of the gelding’s future prospects.
The trainer dismissed Think It Over’s lacklustre run in the Rosehill Cup which was run on a very heavy surface. “He handles soft ground adequately, but has failed badly three times on bottomless tracks,” said Kerry. That theory was vindicated next run when the son of So You Think got a firm surface at Kembla Grange and ran a cracking third in The Gong. He travelled wide with no cover and was beaten less than two lengths by Archedemus and Dawn Passage. Straight to the paddock he went.
With his overall attitude much improved, Think It Over hasn’t taken a backward step this time in. After two barrier trials he gave lie to his cricket score odds by disposing of talented gallopers Criaderas and All Saints Eve in the Gr 3 Liverpool City Cup. He followed that with a genuine second to I Am Superman in the Gr 2 Ajax Stakes which springboarded him into Saturday’s Gr 1.
After a soft run on the fence in front of only three or four horses to the turn, Think It Over saved a lot of ground on the corner before looking for clear air at the 200m. “He and Dalasan went for the same gap together but luckily we beat him to the punch,” said Kerry. “He knuckled down to his task and grabbed Dreamforce in the last couple of strides. I’m not detracting from third horse Avilius. He was obviously very unlucky. It’s on to the Doncaster now with a massive drop of 7kgs under the handicap conditions.”
Think It Over grabs Dreamforce right on the line to win the George Ryder - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
The George Ryder Stakes has been a very kind race to the smaller stables in recent history. Straussbrook in 1990 was one of a small team trained by Bill Evans. Ravarda in 1996 was trained by Bryan Guy who was just finding his feet after the death of his father Ray. Two years later Quick Flick gave Tim Donnelly’s career a giant boost in winning the Ryder, and that was followed a year later by Steve Englebrecht’s triumph with Referral. In 2001 Landsighting provided Hawkesbury based Noel Mayfield-Smith with a dash of Group 1 glory.
Kerry Parker didn’t enjoy his 2019 Queensland Derby win with Dark Dream as much as he should have. He’d taken the gelding from a Moruya maiden to a coveted Derby in just seven months with a Gr 3 Rough Habit Plate thrown in for good measure. As they jumped in the Queensland Derby the trainer knew deep down, that this would be Dark Dream’s final run for his stable. Negotiations were already under way for the gelding’s sale to Hong Kong. For Kerry and his team it would soon be a disappointing reality.
Dark Dream (Tim Clark) scored the easiest of wins in the Gr. 3 Rough Habit Plate 2019 - courtesy Trackside Photography.
How different it will be on April 10th when Think It Over lines up in the historic Doncaster Mile. Kerry has taken owners Richard Johnston and Sid Alcorn on a fantastic journey - a journey that has already brought them an undreamed of Group 1 success, and a couple of handy Group 3’s along the way. It’s interesting to note that Think It Over’s stable name is “Sid” after his part owner.
Kerry’s connection with Richard Johnston began some years ago when he was given a horse to train which had previously been with the late Guy Walter. When the horse in question failed to measure up to city class, Walter suggested a move to a provincial stable. It was Guy Walter himself who strongly recommended Kerry as a suitable replacement trainer.
Kerry Parker’s life with horses began when he worked at a Kangaroo Valley trail riding business part owned by his father. That led him to a full time role as a trackwork rider for several trainers beginning with Errol Amos in the days when Canterbury was still being used as a training centre. He later spent some time with Sid Barker at Nowra before accepting a position with David Balfour in Adelaide.
Then came a lengthy stint with master trainer Les Bridge, which Kerry describes as the most enlightening experience of his life. “Les was a great friend and a wonderful mentor,” said the Kembla trainer. “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 that little horse stormed home to win the Group 1 with a very young Jim Cassidy on board.”
The thought of becoming a trainer was at the back of Kerry’s mind when he turned up at Kembla Grange to seek work as a trackwork rider. He filled that role admirably for David Vandyke for quite some time, and with every passing day the urge to apply for a trainer’s licence grew stronger. How fitting it was that Parker should win a Group 1 as glamorous as the George Ryder Stakes, exactly thirty years after opening the doors of his Kembla Grange stables.
It’s been a tough grind these past three decades. With rarely more than twenty horses in work, Kerry Parker has maintained a very respectable strike rate making the most of every opportunity to come his way. He’s won a number of stakes races with horses like Gold Sovereign, Don Raphael, Aliyana Tide and aforementioned gallopers Dark Dream and Brilliant Light.
Don Raphael wins at Warwick Farm. The horse was destined for the sale ring. Kerry persuaded the owner to give him another try - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
He’s acknowledged throughout the NSW racing industry as a skilled horseman, a pillar of integrity and a tiger for work. Predictably Kerry gives the credit for his achievements to the many loyal people who’ve helped him along the way. He makes special mention of Glen Morgan who’s been his Man Friday since his training career began thirty years ago. “While I was at Rosehill enjoying my moment in the sun with Think It Over, Glen was back in the stable doing the million and one chores that somebody has to do,” said the trainer. “He’s an absolute marvel.”
Kerry believes Think It Over’s improved manners are a result of the special attention given the horse by his strapper Nathan Kynes. “It wouldn’t have been hard to send this horse round the twist early in the piece,” said Kerry. “Nathan has shown extraordinary patience and communication skills with Think It Over. We’re now seeing the results of his efforts.”
The trainer also lauds the skills of the gelding’s regular work rider Deanne Pinney. “Deanne has been with me a long time now, and is unquestionably one of the best work riders in the business,” he said. “She’s an excellent judge of pace who can quickly sort out the positives and negatives of every horse that comes through the place. I greatly value her input.”
Kerry is currently helping to regenerate the career of his new stable apprentice Stephane Joseph who was forced out of the saddle by injury some time ago. “Stephane had his first rides for me at a recent Queanbeyan meeting,” he said. “He was out of a place on Kasparosa and Judge’s Daughter but rode both horses capably. I hope we can put him on a winner shortly.”
With Deanne looking after his trackwork and Nathan keeping his head in the right place, Think It Over can now aim up for easily his biggest task to date. He’s got the right weight, and he’ll be ridden by a specialist big race jockey. He’s in the expert care of a trainer who has twice tasted Group 1 victory. A Queensland Derby and a George Ryder Stakes are not shabby. But there’s something different about a Doncaster - especially when one slipped through your fingers eleven years ago.
That's the Ryder out of the way. Now it's on to the Doncaster! - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
(Banner image - Think It Over wins his first stakes race - the Gr.3 Craven Plate last October - courtesy Bradley Photographers.)