A Trip Down Memory Lane: The Racetrack Whisper and Sweet Champagne Eulogy

Friday, 20 December 2024 by Gavin Haynes

A Trip Down Memory Lane: The Racetrack Whisper and Sweet Champagne Eulogy

Late on a Friday night in 1997, I was buzzing. "I reckon I’ve found it," I told my friend Jack, who didn’t look up from his Best Bets bible. Confirmation. Tomorrow we’re heading to Te Rapa to get the cash!

Waikato Times Gold Cup Day was the highlight of December for Hamilton racing enthusiasts, and for a starry-eyed teenager like me, it was Christmas come early. Few things excited me more than the thought of turning $5 into $25. Racing was a great hobby for a maths nerd. The challenge of analysing form, the fun of filtering the whispers (or noise), and the adrenaline rush and roar of the crowd when a race got serious —it was, as they say, intoxicating.

The day started well. The flying Zola, a brown filly with a sharp turn of foot, won the feature 2YO race convincingly. She was fast and uncatchable in the straight. Later, Zola would win a Group 1 and establish herself among the best sprinting two-year-olds.

Shortly after her victory, we received a track whisper. Uh oh, noise. “Champagne will win the Eulogy at Awapuni today. The stable thinks she’s the real deal.” Jack’s source was legit though, so there was no hesitation. Scuttling below the public stand, I joined the queue at the tote window, clutching a crisp “duck” — a $10 bill with Kate Sheppard on the front and a whio (blue duck) on the back. It felt lucky, Chinese love a new note.

With quiet optimism, I “banged” five each-way on the "hot tip." Champagne didn’t just win; she bolted in. Under Shane Udy, she secured the Eulogy Stakes in style. Her performance meant that she earned a permanent spot in my "black book" or 2B5 homework diary. I’d follow her on Trackside whenever she’d race.

The glow from Champagne’s win left my velcro wallet fatter than a few hours before, ready for the big race of the day: the Waikato Times Gold Cup. My “form” said La Sileen was the one, a grey filly trained by Moira Murdoch. She had a lightweight and Catherine Treymane, who was on fire, booked to ride. Treymane was winning on all types of horses at the time—front-runners, back-markers—it didn’t seem to matter.

The race unfolded well. Treymane settled La Sileen towards the back, waiting patiently before unleashing her in the straight. The crowd roared as they surged to victory. Amazingly my “form” matched the outcome! La Sileen later contested the Auckland Cup that summer, where she was beaten by two-mile legend, Jezabeel.

Champagne wasn’t done making her mark either. She crossed the Tasman and captured a Group 1 in Sydney, then finished second to Might And Power in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes—or third, if daylight counted as a runner. Her Melbourne Spring of 1998 was dramatic: she was controversially “carved-up” in the Caulfield Cup by Ray Cochrane and winner Taufan’s Melody, but she rebounded to win the G1 Mackinnon Stakes. In the Melbourne Cup, she had the race won, before Jezabeel, the Auckland Cup heroine, rallied to take the prize. I learned about the Flemington clocktower that day, I just wish Glen Boss had before the race!

Reflecting now, Te Rapa on that December day in 1997 was where my love of racing truly took root. Between the form, track whispers and having fun with mates, it was the magnificent thoroughbred that was central to it all. A winning combo that sparked a passion that still burns brightly today.

Saturday will see the Eulogy Stakes run at Trentham with Te Rapa offering a support card.

Check out HorseTorque NZ for full analysis of both meetings, including race comments.

My Eulogy selection is Trentham R5: #6 MACALUSO

A NZ angle in Oz this weekend with Gav is Randwick R8: #4 GERIATRIX

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