Darryll Kell was still pinching himself on Sunday morning in the wake of Mahogany Girl’s gutsy win in the Polytrack Provincial-Midway Championship Qualifier at Hawkesbury. He can’t help but reflect on the surreal journey that has led a little known six year old mare to a guaranteed start in a one million dollar feature at Royal Randwick on April 12th - and all in less than twelve months. It’s unlikely any other horse in any other race over the course of The Championships will provide a better background story than Mahogany Girl.
Darryll Kell had tried hard all week not to overthink the Hawkesbury Qualifier and was reasonably composed when he arrived at the track. The last race on the card seemed an eternity away as he tethered Mahogany Girl in the race day stalls and prayed her pre-race nerves wouldn’t get the better of her. “She still hasn’t learned to handle the race day hype and I knew the big crowd on Saturday wouldn’t help,” said the former harness horse trainer. “When she got into the enclosure people were three and four deep around the fence and making plenty of noise. The mare was all but off her face by the time Chad Lever mounted and this was when I produced a secret weapon. Clerk Of The Course Murray Parkes has helped out at several Hawkesbury meetings and seems to have a way with this mare. She just pops her head over the neck of his pony, and trots quietly to the barrier. Murray saved the day again on Saturday.”
Despite her parade yard antics, Mahogany Girl is tractable in the gates and can be relied upon to step quickly. On Saturday she was one of the first out and Chad Lever was surprised to find himself with an uncontested lead in the 1400m Class 5 event. At her girth from the outset was Well Timed, a two time Randwick winner and a pronounced $2.60 favourite. Keagan Latham on Well Timed put no pressure on Mahogany Girl in the run to the turn allowing Lever to get easy sectionals in front. Just when punters were expecting the favourite to lay down the gauntlet to Mahogany Girl, it was obvious Well Timed had a fight on his hands. The chestnut mare pinned back her ears and held him safely right to the line. “She flatly refused to let him get past her,” was Chad Lever’s post race comment.
Chad Lever looks the part as Mahogany Girl charges to the line in Saturday's important Qualifier - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Darryll Kell was filling the role of Harness Breeders NSW President when he first met Mahogany Girl’s owner Scott Robertson. Scott at the time was far more active in the breeding and racing of standardbreds, but he and Darryll soon discovered they shared a common interest in the thoroughbred sport. Scott in fact had a three year old filly called Mahogany Girl in work with Riverina trainer Peter Morgan, and was more than delighted when she finished third in a Wagga maiden early in 2022. Scott’s elation was quickly quelled when she suffered a low tendon strain in the off foreleg. When a local vet delivered a gloomy prognosis, Scott made the immediate decision to dispatch her to the breeding barn.
Mahogany Girl went to Twin Hills Stud to be covered by Peltzer, the young son of So You Think who’s six race wins included the Gr 2 Stan Fox Stakes, the Gr 3 Eskimo Prince and the $1 million dollar Bondi Stakes. Her resultant colt foal is now an impressive yearling and still in the possession of his breeder. Soon after the foal was weaned from his dam, Scott had Mahogany Girl’s troublesome foreleg scanned and was delighted to learn that her old injury had healed completely. The owner-breeder paid Darryll Kell the compliment of inviting him to train the rising six year old.
Owner Scott Robertson lives near Wagga and rarely gets to the races in Sydney. Darryll and Chad Lever were happy to accept the trophies - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
“You can imagine how she looked when she arrived at my place,” said Darryll. She still looked like a broodmare as you’d expect and weighed around 570kgs. We went very, very slowly with her and gradually the old Mahogany Girl started to reappear. My eternal thanks go to Simone Vella who rode her miles of slow work and walked her quietly for long periods on hilly paddocks near Hawkesbury racecourse. Track regulars were later very distressed when Simone was sidelined with a nasty back injury sustained in a trackwork fall. When trainer Claire Lever learned of my plight, she advised me that husband Chad would be happy to help out. So began a great professional association and valued friendship.”
Tyler Schiller was the jockey when the mare won her comeback barrier trial at Warwick Farm last June, but Chad Lever hasn’t been off her back since. The partnership got off the mark with a third in a Goulburn maiden in September followed by a second placing at Queanbeyan in early October. Then came an easy maiden win at Hawkesbury on October 24th followed by a second and fifth on the same track, both good runs. A BM64 win followed on her hometrack after which Darryll opted for a freshen up. She was hard held when second to Maillot Rojo in a Warwick Farm barrier trial on February 12th, the perfect pipe opener for a fillies and mares BM64 over 1300m at Hawkesbury nine days later. She enjoyed an easy lead as she did last Saturday and won with authority. It’s a safe bet Darryll will be somewhat relieved the first time Mahogany Girl wins on a track other than Hawkesbury.
This was Mahogany Girl's final lead up to the Qualifier. Another all the way win in BM64 company on Feb 20th - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Darryll Kell’s background also makes for good reading. He was twenty one years old in 1986 when he joined the NSW Police and began his training at the Goulburn Academy. He assumed duties as a probationary constable at the Macquarie Fields precinct, later transferring to the Bowral station where he would eventually make the rank of acting sergeant. Around this time Darryll’s fascination with standardbreds surfaced, and before long he was hobby training a handful of pacers. He mixed his police work with the training of harness horses for the next twelve years, before finally opting for a full time training career.
Kell’s ability to win multiple races with horses over lengthy periods became his trademark. Notable examples were Mal McGregor, Seafarer, Jay Jay Lobell, Warriors Son and Vista Rama - the latter won no less than ten races under Darryll’s tutelage. The experienced horseman was still dabbling in the training of standardbreds as recently as five years ago, but by then he’d had a taste of the intoxicating experience of success on the turf. “My very first galloper was a Zariz mare called Will She Ever,” Darryll recalls. “I was over the moon when she ran third in a picnic maiden at Boorowa. You can imagine how I was in October 2019 when she won a 900m Bombala maiden with Patrick Scorse in the saddle. That was her only win, but I’ll remember Will She Ever as the mare to kickstart my transition to the gallops.”
From another life! One of Darryll's best performers at the trots Seafarer (Greg Bennett) wins at Fairfield.
The Kell trained Mal McGregor (Glenn McElhinney) wins at Bankstown.
The soon to be 60 year old still works in a trotting environment. His team of four thoroughbreds are housed at the well appointed Cobbitty establishment of high profile harness horseman Luke McCarthy. Imagine the mood at the McCarthy property on Sunday morning in the wake of Luke’s Miracle Mile win with Don Hugo and Darryll’s Hawkesbury triumph. “I have the daily use of a water walker, swimming facilities and treadmills,” said Kell. “When it’s time for them to stretch their legs I float them to Hawkesbury where the ever obliging Chad Lever makes himself available for gallops. Constantly lending a hand is Lisa, my greatest supporter and wife of thirty seven years. Lisa doubled as strapper at Hawkesbury on Saturday, and without her calming influence Mahogany Girl’s parade yard meltdown could have been much worse.”
Darryll says Clarry Conners was his primary inspiration in becoming a gallops trainer - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
In the euphoria of Saturday’s exciting win Darryll didn’t forget to spare a thought or two for the man he regards as his principal thoroughbred mentor. “Without the kindness and support of the legendary Clarry Conners I wouldn’t have been collecting that trophy, “he said. “I’d always admired Clarry’s rise through the ranks of Sydney trainers and had been inspired by his story. When I made the decision to apply for a trainer’s ticket I sought work experience at the Conners stable. For five months six days a week Clarry was welcoming, gracious with his time, and patient with the rookie who was bombarding him with questions. I still call him whenever I need a second opinion and I’ll be doing exactly that over the next couple of weeks.”
Darryll now faces the problem encountered by all trainers of horses who qualify early for these rich conditioned races. “The Randwick final is exactly five weeks after the mare’s qualifying win at Hawkesbury,” says Darryll. “That’s obviously too long a break without some sort of blowout. The fact is she couldn’t be fitter than she is right now, and I’d like to keep some spring in her step for the 1400m at Randwick. It’s almost certain a solid barrier trial will be my preferred option, but we’ll wait and see. I had many thrills at the trots over more than thirty years, but I’ve got to say this is the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to this old ex copper.”
(Banner image - Darryll and Lisa Kell with a very alert Mahogany Girl after Saturday's Hawkesbury Qualifier - courtesy Bradley Photographers.)