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News.com.au
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
The Awesome story behind the namesake of Blake Ryan's talented two-year-old
Hawkesbury trainer Blake Ryan will be at Rosehill on Saturday armed with his exciting two-year-old debut winner Just Awesome. The gelding's name will be instantly recognisable for racing fans and breeding scholars in particular. Enter the Magic Millions Sales Director David Chester who had a front-row seat for the original Just Awesome 's brief but spectacular career. 'I remember the late Ken Turner trained him and he was a pretty smart racehorse,'' Chester told Racenet. For the record, the son of Last Tycoon was foaled in 1990 and was a member of the same crop sired by the Breeders' Cup Mile winner as Mahogany, Lady Jakeo, Tracey's Element and Magic Of Money. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Just Awesome, unlike the modern-day version, was beaten on debut but hardly disgraced given it was behind Geoff and Beryl White's future Galaxy winner, Jetball. As for Just Awesome, his stakes-win came at Rosehill on August 27 in 1994 when Shane Dye steered the colt to a narrow victory in the Concorde Stakes. His race record and pedigree was enough to earn Just Awesome a place on the then revered stallion roster at Wakefield Stud which at the time, included Kala Dancer, who would go on to throw Melbourne Cup winner Subzero and the ill-fated Angst. 'The late Brian Agnew bought the horse as a stallion prospect to stand in the Hunter Valley,'' Chester explained. 'And he (Just Awesome) was at a farm at Beaudesert, I can't remember the name of it, but anyway it was 'gelding day' and I think they had about half a dozen horses to geld and they brought down Just Awesome. 'They never checked the brand. Anyway the vet took out one testicle and then he said 'are you sure this is the right horse?' 'And then all hell broke loose. They checked the brand and found out they'd taken a testicle out of Just Awesome.' • Kosciuszko build-up begins without defending champ Needless to say it was a big deal at the time, with the career of one of the nation's boom soon-to-be stallions almost over before it began. 'Brian rang me and he said 'David, can you help me sell the horse, I don't want him now','' Chester said. 'So I rang Fred Brown who had a property at Southbrook. 'He was quite a big client of (the Magic Millions), as a breeder and racehorse owner. John Size used to train for him when he trained in Brisbane; Fred was one of John's best clients. 'So I rang Fred and Fred said 'I like the horse, but Jesus David, let me talk to Reg Pascoe' who was the leading horse vet on the Darling Downs. 'Reg said 'Fred, first year you might have to just go a little bit easy on him but that testicle will develop and he will be able to cover as many mares as you want, it should not affect him at all later on.' Which is exactly what Brown did. Just Awesome covered a mere 56 mares in his first season in 1996. That number rose to 68 in the following season but then tragedy struck. Just Awesome died in April, 1998, leaving behind an eventful and ultimately unfulfilled career that only became evident as his limited number of offspring made it to the racetrack. 'He was a very good stallion,'' Chester said. 'He was sensational in what he did in the first couple of seasons. 'You couldn't believe it. Just everything he got could run.' According to figures supplied by Racing And Sports, Just Awesome's two (small) crops delivered winners of 318 races including five stakes-winners, led by Sound The Alarm who won the Group 1 Railway Stakes at Ellerslie on New Year's Day in 2002. Vale Just Awesome (1990-1998), gone but not forgotten.
News.com.au
07-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Wyong preview, best bets, inside mail for Sunday, June 8, 2025
If only Hall Of Famer Clarry Conners could count on the equine Iceman as much as he did his two-legged namesake, he would be sure of tallying up his 150th career win at Wyong. Conners, a four-time Golden Slipper-winning trainer among other things — bought, part-owns and of course trains Iceman. It was only natural that we asked him if his name is a tribute to the Champion trans-Tasman jockey Grant Cooksley — aka 'The Iceman'. 'I wish he was,' Conners joked. 'But no, he was a pretty easy horse to name after his mother (Ice Girl). Mention Conners, and the first jockey that comes to mind is Shane Dye, but it was in fact Cooksley who holds the singular honour and distinction as judged by Conners himself. Photo! ðŸ'¸ Iceman gets there in a photo for Clarry Conners and Andrew Adkins! @aus_turf_club â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) October 16, 2024 The Form: Complete NSW Racing thoroughbred form, including video replays and all you need to know about every horse, jockey and trainer. 'Grant Cooksley rode the best horse I ever had,' Conners said. 'And Cooksley reckons he was the best horse he ever rode. 'I'll never forget him.' That horse is Mouawad. A year younger brother to Octagonal, Mouawad won seven of his eight career starts and was widely acknowledged as a certainty-beaten at the other in mid-January, 1997 at Royal Randwick. 'He was on the fence and he never got out,' Conners recalled. After that, Mouawad and Cooksley were never beaten, sweeping the Debonair, Australian Guineas, Futurity Stakes and George Ryder in succession. Then a sensation. 'He was the favourite for the Doncaster but the day before, he bumped himself in the pool, it was nothing but the owners decided to send him to stud which was stupid,' Conners said. Mouawad served 32 mares in the spring 1997 but 29 of the mares failed to go in foal. The three that did, all delivered dead foals. With his stud seemingly over before it started, a racetrack return was on the radar. 'I tried to buy him back and I ran out of money,' Conners explained. 'I formed a syndicate for half a million dollars and that was as far as we were going to go and then Y. P Cheng from Domeland bought him for $550,000 and took him to China to go to stud. 'If you can work that out, I can't.' Conners, meanwhile, has had his work cut out working the somewhat enigmatic Iceman out but is getting there. 'He is still a work in progress,' Conners said. 'He is a bit of a dumb horse. I put the nose-roll on him because he gets his head up and he's looking around but the penny will drop one day I hope.' The nose-roll has, it seems, to be propelling Iceman closer to adding to his single Warwick Farm victory with back-to-back thirds, one of them unlucky, during May ahead on his quest in The Enterance Leagues Club Class 1 Handicap (1600m). 'His last two runs have been pretty good and he has drawn a barrier so that will help a little bit,' he said. 'It is a nice race for him on Sunday.' SHAYNE O'CASS' TOP SELECTIONS BEST BET Race 2 No. 10: RAINBOW GODDESS Daughter of Zanbagh placed at four of eight starts in superior company, most times. NEXT BEST Race 1 No. 1: GOLDEN STRAAND Blue blooded Snitzel colt in the Gerry Harvey colours. Trialled well enough to win. VALUE BET Race 6 No. 3: MIZELLA Kim Waugh-trained local who looks ready and able to see out the 2000m now. QUADDIE Race 5: 3, 9, 11, 12 Race 6: 3 Race 7: 2, 4, 9 Race 8: 5, 8 JOCKEY TO FOLLOW ALYSHA COLLETT has a decent book and will be popular with punters across the day. INSIDE MAIL - WYONG RACE 1: EZY PROJECTS - BUILDING MADE EASY MAIDEN HANDICAP 1100m GOLDEN STRAAND (1) is a Gerry Harvey-owned and bred colt by Snitzel out of Kryptelon who was a nine-time winner including the Gai Waterhouse Classic at Ipswich. A half to VRC Sires' placegetter, Fling, this colt has trialled well enough to suggest a winning debut is well within reason. SWEXAN (2) is bred to get two miles (his dam is by Melbourne Cup placegetter Jakkalberry) but could easily run well here on debut. RAINBOW GODDESS (10) is a valuable daughter of Exceed And Excel out of Zanbagh who was well known to this mare's owners, the Taits, and trainer John Thompson. Rainbow Goddess has placed at half of her four starts, three of them seconds. Been in much better races than this one. INNCOURT (1) makes his Australian debut off two recent trials, winning the last one over 1200m. Miler but could run well fresh. PRATT (2) had three starts for Chris Waller prior to him changing hands for $45,000 online in Feb, 2025. The now Mark Minervini-trained three-year-old had trialled well prior to his booming three-and-a-quarter length win at Newcastle on May 26. Can't vouch for the beaten brigade but he thrashed them just the same. HARLEX (1), who shares the same third dam as Yes Yes Yes and In Her Time, has come up with a favourable draw here. Ran well in a deep Class 1 on Scone Cup Day. BRAVE CALL (1) was $17 into $14 when he made his Australian debut at Scone on Cup Day. The Kris Lees-trained gelding had the race snatched away right on the line by one of the locals. Mile again here, drawn 3 compared to 14 at Scone. Beautiful race for him. DIAMOND SHOW (4), a mare in-bred to Eight Carat no less, was miles too good when she won at Hawkesbury over the mile at Hawkesbury third-up. Only one word to describe her, progressive. ICEMAN (3) has claims. MATETE (3) is a son of Dundeel out of Kimillsy who, like Matete, was trained by Kim Waugh for husband Mark and others. Matete's resume says he is unplaced in his four career starts but two are fourths, two are fifths and pretty respectable they were too. REVERBERATES (12) is a very well-bred Brad Widdup-trained filly who chased home an even better bred Brad Widdup mare, Diamond Show (see above) in that mile maiden. Peaking for this and hard to beat. Bet: Matete to win, quinella 3,12 box trifecta 3, 9, 11, 12 MIZELLA (3) is a Kim Waugh-trained local by Winx's soon to be 2025 spring partner, Too Darn Hot. Mizella has won three of her 12 starts. Those wins were at 1000m, 1500m and 1600m which is a nod to her versatility but 2000m here looks both suitable and doable. Dundeel gelding WHETU (2) has raced at Wyong twice and won both times. One of them was over 2000m and he won by three-and-a-half lengths. Rock hard fit. Bet: Mizella to win, box trifecta 2, 3, 6, 8, DD 1st Leg 3, 2nd Leg 5 RACE 7: SCAPE PROPERTIES CG&E BENCHMARK 64 HANDICAP 1200m FRENCH MARINE (2) is a rising eight-year-old and just two starts shy of 50. That said, the Kris Lees-trained son of Epaulette posted his seventh career win at Newcastle this time on May 26 and it would have to rank right up there with one of his easiest. Just need some luck late from the rails draw maybe. Not so DIVINE BENE (4). He can be counted on to be right up there on the speed throughout. Purpose-built for these Central Coast tracks. Bet: French Marine to win, quinella 2, 4, box trifecta 1, 2, 4, 9 COCO DREAMING (5) has one win and three seconds from her eight starts but to be fair to the mare, she could have at least one or two more wins added to the present tally had it not been for circumstances beyond her control. We know that when she does have even luck, how good she can be. Keep in mind that the Angela Davies-trained chestnut has raced at Wyong twice for a win and a second. The last preparation of CANDY WOMAN (8) was short and a wee-bit sour but she is handy and the trial the other day was a sweet one. Bet: Coco Dreaming to win, quinella/exacta 5, 8 BEST BETS WYONG BEST BET R2 No.10: Rainbow Goddess Daughter of Zanbagh placed at four of eight starts in superior company, most times. NEXT BEST R1 No.1: Golden Straand Blue-blooded Snitzel colt in the Gerry Harvey colours. Trialled well enough to win. BEST VALUE R6 No.3: Mizella Kim Waugh-trained local who looks ready and able to see out the 2000m now. QUADDIE Race 5: 3,9,11,12 Race 6: 3 Race 7: 2,4,9 Race 8: 5,8
