Super Shag Story
November 14th 2007 12:14
It's amazing how a headline can be so misleading. It's about racing, take it easy.
The trainer has only won one race in over two seasons. The jockey has not won in thirty-two attempts this season, he has only won three out of his last one hundred rides. In race three at Werribee on Thursday, they come together on a horse whose name belies his actual form.
Super Shag, a four year old grey gelding by Shagny, carries the hopes of trainer Gordon Strang and apprentice jockey Campbell McCallum in an 1100 metre maiden plate.
His form is very ordinary, to be generous. He has been beaten by an average of fourteen lengths in his last three starts, however they were all on rain-affected tracks. A strange quirk of his form is that it reflects the last horse to win from Strang's small yard, Lay Back Lad.
Lay Back Lad ran unplaced and beaten a long way in his first three starts, much like Super Shag. After a spell he came out and won a maiden at Albury over the 1000 metres in the smart time of 58.05. Strang may found the secret to unlocking Lay Back Lad's talent, it is possible he may do the same with Super Shag. Lay Back Lad was ridden by Cameron Quilty in his first three unplaced runs before being replaced by an apprentice. Quilty has also been replaced by an apprentice on Super Shag.
Werribee is also a fond venue for Strang, it is the scene of Lay Back Lad's and probably Strang's biggest win. Almost three years to the day on November 11 in 2004 saw Lay Back Lad, ridden by Luke Nolen, defeat the future city winners El Zahia, Footy and the Magic Millions Classic winning mare Plans. Strang took on the big boys, David Hayes and Danny O'Brien and beat them with a horse with early form as ordinary as Super Shag. That was Lay Back Lad's last win before he returned from three years in the wilderness recently with an easy picnic win on November 3.
Campbell McCallum is another story within this story. From the town of Gordonvale in far North Queensland, McCallum won a Prime Minister's Award for Skill Excellence in 2006 and has come from a much different career path than many other jockeys. McCallum has actually completed a Certificate in racing (Jockey) as well as Year 12, a far cry from jockeys of yesteryear who left school at 14 to muck out boxes until the trainer thought him good enough to take him on as an apprentice.
McCallum started off with Ralph Baker in North Queensland before transferring to Brisbane with Nerissa Cowell and then kept moving south to be apprenticed to Lee Hope at Kilmore. Hope was the master of successful jockey Blake Shinn and is more than qualified to show McCallum the ropes in Victoria.
Tony Nasrallah, a part owner of Super Shag with Strang and one other partner, is cautiously optimistic about Super Shag's chances, "I'm not expecting him to win, but I wouldn't be surprised if he did", he said
Nasrallah added that Super Shag will perform better with increased distances, "the trainer (Strang) says he has improved heaps from last time in, but does need the extra ground", he said. Super Shag tuned up for his first up run with an 800m jump out win at Seymour recently.
Therein lies the beauty of the Sport of Kings. A customer service officer with a local Melbourne Council can part own a dream with a small trainer. With them, a kid from way up north can pit their wits against racing royalty such as Lee Freedman and Corey Brown who have Ariem engaged. They can compete with David Hayes and Weekend Hussler's jockey Brad Rawiller who will put Sieger Sieger up against them and they can take on Cox Plate winning trainer Colin Little who has Tequilakoko engaged. They might go around at 100-1 but they are in there competing, and good on 'em for having a go. Strang has done it before and I hope he does it again. I will have a shekel or two each way for sentiment's sake. Horses are so finely tuned it that it takes one small thing to click and form turns around . One horse sets jockeys, owners and trainers on their way to great heights. Just ask the owners of Tears I Cry.
It may only be a maiden but the thrill would still be of Melbourne Cup proportions to Gordon, Tony and Campbell.
TIPS FOR WERRIBEE - Race 2 number 1 Arezzo
Race 4 number 9 Foreshadow
The trainer has only won one race in over two seasons. The jockey has not won in thirty-two attempts this season, he has only won three out of his last one hundred rides. In race three at Werribee on Thursday, they come together on a horse whose name belies his actual form.
Super Shag, a four year old grey gelding by Shagny, carries the hopes of trainer Gordon Strang and apprentice jockey Campbell McCallum in an 1100 metre maiden plate.
His form is very ordinary, to be generous. He has been beaten by an average of fourteen lengths in his last three starts, however they were all on rain-affected tracks. A strange quirk of his form is that it reflects the last horse to win from Strang's small yard, Lay Back Lad.
Lay Back Lad ran unplaced and beaten a long way in his first three starts, much like Super Shag. After a spell he came out and won a maiden at Albury over the 1000 metres in the smart time of 58.05. Strang may found the secret to unlocking Lay Back Lad's talent, it is possible he may do the same with Super Shag. Lay Back Lad was ridden by Cameron Quilty in his first three unplaced runs before being replaced by an apprentice. Quilty has also been replaced by an apprentice on Super Shag.
Werribee is also a fond venue for Strang, it is the scene of Lay Back Lad's and probably Strang's biggest win. Almost three years to the day on November 11 in 2004 saw Lay Back Lad, ridden by Luke Nolen, defeat the future city winners El Zahia, Footy and the Magic Millions Classic winning mare Plans. Strang took on the big boys, David Hayes and Danny O'Brien and beat them with a horse with early form as ordinary as Super Shag. That was Lay Back Lad's last win before he returned from three years in the wilderness recently with an easy picnic win on November 3.
Campbell McCallum is another story within this story. From the town of Gordonvale in far North Queensland, McCallum won a Prime Minister's Award for Skill Excellence in 2006 and has come from a much different career path than many other jockeys. McCallum has actually completed a Certificate in racing (Jockey) as well as Year 12, a far cry from jockeys of yesteryear who left school at 14 to muck out boxes until the trainer thought him good enough to take him on as an apprentice.
McCallum started off with Ralph Baker in North Queensland before transferring to Brisbane with Nerissa Cowell and then kept moving south to be apprenticed to Lee Hope at Kilmore. Hope was the master of successful jockey Blake Shinn and is more than qualified to show McCallum the ropes in Victoria.
Tony Nasrallah, a part owner of Super Shag with Strang and one other partner, is cautiously optimistic about Super Shag's chances, "I'm not expecting him to win, but I wouldn't be surprised if he did", he said
Nasrallah added that Super Shag will perform better with increased distances, "the trainer (Strang) says he has improved heaps from last time in, but does need the extra ground", he said. Super Shag tuned up for his first up run with an 800m jump out win at Seymour recently.
Therein lies the beauty of the Sport of Kings. A customer service officer with a local Melbourne Council can part own a dream with a small trainer. With them, a kid from way up north can pit their wits against racing royalty such as Lee Freedman and Corey Brown who have Ariem engaged. They can compete with David Hayes and Weekend Hussler's jockey Brad Rawiller who will put Sieger Sieger up against them and they can take on Cox Plate winning trainer Colin Little who has Tequilakoko engaged. They might go around at 100-1 but they are in there competing, and good on 'em for having a go. Strang has done it before and I hope he does it again. I will have a shekel or two each way for sentiment's sake. Horses are so finely tuned it that it takes one small thing to click and form turns around . One horse sets jockeys, owners and trainers on their way to great heights. Just ask the owners of Tears I Cry.
It may only be a maiden but the thrill would still be of Melbourne Cup proportions to Gordon, Tony and Campbell.
TIPS FOR WERRIBEE - Race 2 number 1 Arezzo
Race 4 number 9 Foreshadow
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Comment by charles
ZCars
Ponderous
Not knowing anything about horseracing, you had me fooled when I thought I had finally found something that I could comment on!!
Comment by Punters Daily
Brad