Many race watchers were surprised when broadcaster David Fowler mentioned Spaceboy’s prize money tally immediately after the gelding cruised home in Saturday’s open sprint at Doomben. In an era when an honest horse can win undreamed of money, Spaceboy took his earnings to a whopping $717,000. He’s been able to do that with sheer consistency through a 45 start career which has yielded 6 wins, an amazing 14 seconds and 3 thirds. The best he’s managed in half a dozen stakes appearances are two seconds at listed level.
Trainer Gary Portelli has vivid recollections of the day he purchased Spaceboy at the 2018 Gold Coast yearling sale. “I initially marked him in the catalogue because he was the first foal of a Danzero mare called Miatoko who happened to be a half sister to Moonlight Shadow, dam of one of my all time favourites Testashadow,” said Gary. “What a lovely horse Testashadow turned out to be for his Elite Thoroughbreds ownership syndicate. He raced 72 times for 8 wins and 20 placings for $1.56 million. Seven of his wins were on Sydney metropolitan tracks while the other was the Magic Millions Cup with Deanne Panya on board. Zoustar also comes from the same family.
“The yearling’s sire Deep Field was a highly regarded racehorse as was his grandsire Northern Meteor. He really grabbed me as a type - great hindquarter, lovely eye and strong from head to tail. He looked a fast horse and hasn’t that turned out to be the case. The problem was a limited bank. I’d been used to paying $40,000-$50,000 for yearlings, but I knew this bloke was going to make a whole lot more than that. Thank God I was able to nail him for $200,000. I was just about out of ammunition. He now has something like thirty owners who’ve all had a wonderful ride.”
The $200,000 purchase is closing in on three quarters of a million in prize money - courtesy Trackside Photography.
Spaceboy’s initial preparation was marred by intermittent shin soreness, the nemesis of trainers who are trying to get two year olds up and going for the early races. “He ran second to Tassort first up at Rosehill, but by the time he got to the Wyong Magic Millions 2YO Classic he was a little touchy,” said Gary. “He did all the chasing before finishing third to Unite and Conquer. He tried hard but you could see he wasn’t stretching out as we knew he could. He was like a cat on a hot tin roof when he cooled down, and we immediately abandoned all Magic Millions aspirations.”
It was five months before Spaceboy raced again, and he quickly established a reputation for consistency. He registered four seconds, a third and two fourths before finally winning his maiden at start number ten. He led over the Kembla 1000m course and blew the field away with Kathy O’Hara in the saddle. He followed that with a close second to Wandabaa in a BM70 on the Kensington track before tackling the same grade on a heavy track at Warwick Farm, ridden for the first and only time by James McDonald. “After the race James suggested the horse might need a tongue tie,” said Gary. “He said he hadn’t actually heard any breathing abnormality but felt Spaceboy was worried about something in his mouth. We applied a tongue tie immediately after, and would you believe he won three straight for Kathy O’Hara - one at Wyong and two at Randwick. We left the tongue tie on until very recently when he seemed to be getting a bit cranky with it.
“He’s not the kind of horse to get cranky. In fact you’d have to say he’s a trainer’s dream. From the time he got over that early shin soreness he’s been the soundest horse you could wish for. He trots out like he’s just come back from a spell, does his work, goes back to the stable and cleans out his feed bin. I wish they were all like him.”
Spaceboy (Kathy O'Hara) makes it a hat trick of wins on the Kensington track 18/07/2020. Other horse in picture is 3rd placegetter Witherspoon (Louise Day) - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Spaceboy has won only two races since that hat trick, but has strung together something like nine placings and four fourths accumulating handy prize money along the way. Gary elected to give him a Queensland campaign only recently and locked in the services of Eagle Farm trainer Barry Lockwood who seems to be the “go-to” man whenever Sydney horses go to Brisbane for short preparations. “Barry’s a top horseman and as reliable as they come. He’s happy to communicate regularly with the Sydney trainers who utilise his services,” said Gary. “Spaceboy ran second at Doomben at his first run for Barry and followed up with a close fifth at Eagle Farm. We decided to use Cejay Graham’s 2kg claim in Saturday’s race at Doomben and when he came up with the inside gate our confidence grew. He led easily and they left him alone. Cejay rated him perfectly with a 36 second first 600m and 33 seconds for the final section. He was never going to get beaten and we gave him a big cheer as we watched the race at Rosehill.”
The Warwick Farm trainer gave two other members of his team a similar cheer in the closing stages of the Gr 3 Up And Coming Stakes. Kintyre momentarily looked the winner when he sprinted quickly to grab the lead close to home, but was swamped late by Tom Kitten who was magnificent with his 59 kgs. Third placegetter Encap is perhaps the most untapped talent in Portelli’s yard since Fireburn began her ascendancy eighteen months ago. “Early on he was the worst kind of colt,” said the trainer. “Unless gelded he had no hope of making a racehorse. Even after the surgery he wasn’t impressive at first. His trackwork was ordinary and his first up third last March was just average.”
Gary was in for a very pleasant surprise when Encap resumed in a Warwick Farm maiden (1100m) on July 19th. The son of Capitalist got well back in the run to the turn and was hopelessly held up in the straight. Dragged across heels by Dylan Gibbons Encap produced a finish rarely seen in maiden company to almost grab the winner Undivided. “It was an amazing run, but I knew I wouldn’t be convinced until I saw it happen again,” said Garry. “We found a 1200m maiden at Warwick Farm three weeks later. With Dylan unavailable we got Tyler Schiller to ride and he repeated the previous run, flying home for second to Les Vampires.”
Although both maiden runs were eye-catching Gary knew he was throwing Encap in at the deep end in jumping straight to Gr 3 company on Saturday. His judgement was more than vindicated when the emerging topliner was a fast closing third to Tom Kitten and Kintyre. “No trainer likes to have multiple runners for different owners in the same race,” said Gary. “Unfortunately I have no option going forward with these three year olds Encap and Kintyre. They’ll have to oppose one another in the Ming Dynasty Quality over 1400m at Rosehill on September 9th. I hope they both have trouble free runs.”
Tom Kitten grabs Kintyre in the last few strides with Encap closing fast into third place in the Up And Coming Stakes - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Spaceboy will remain in Brisbane for an 1100m open sprint in three weeks time. Cejay Graham’s 2kg claim will be employed again and obviously connections will be hoping for another favourable draw. Apart from his three year old duo, Gary anxiously awaits the return to racing of outstanding mare Fireburn, the surprise packet of Australian racing in 2022.
Gary with great supporter Louis Mihalyka of Laurel Oak Bloodstock - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Already a dual Gr 1 winner of $4.2 million in prize money, Fireburn hasn’t raced since May when she brilliantly won the Doomben Roses on her way to the Queensland Oaks. Portelli is still coming to terms with the shock of being forced to scratch Fireburn from the Oaks on the insistence of Queensland Racing Integrity Commission vets who deemed her lame in a hind leg before acceptance time. The trainer tried to convince them the filly had an unusual gait as she first moved off, but would quickly begin to move fluently. His pleas fell on deaf ears.
Fireburn will resume in Saturday’s Gr 2 Tramway Stakes on a path that could culminate in a Caulfield Cup mission in October. The Gary Portelli story is an inspiring one for any young horse person contemplating a career as a trainer. He was riding ponies from an early age and by mid teens was riding trackwork for his mother Morveen who was training a small team of horses at Orange. For a number of years Gary worked the night shift as a pastry cook at an Orange bakery, reporting for trackwork duties at first light.
He endured some early disappointments after arriving at Warwick Farm in the early 1990’s but soon had his career on track. Now regarded as one of Sydney’s most astute professional horsemen Gary Portelli can be justifiably proud of his eight Gr 1 wins - an AJC Oaks with Rena’s Lady, a Railway Stakes in NZ with Gold Trail, a Rupert Clarke and Manikato Stakes with Rebel Dane, a Golden Slipper and Moir Stakes with She Will Reign and a Golden Slipper/Sires Produce double with Fireburn. He’s entitled to be confident that he can improve on that tally over the upcoming Sydney spring carnival.
After Sejardan's win in the Todman Stakes 05/03/2022 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
(Banner image - Cejay Graham was having her first ride on Spaceboy in winning the open sprint at Doomben - courtesy Trackside Photography.)