First race just like a debut for Denis

DENIS Pagan is no stranger to nerves, having trod AFL’s treacherous tightrope as player and coach over four decades.

As one of the sport’s most decorated operators — dual premiership coach, 100-game player and Victorian representative — Pagan is familiar with football’s peaks and troughs.

More than anything, the Shinboners’ coach of the century understands nothing in sport — or life — is guaranteed.

At 72, Pagan’s ambition and obsessive attention to detail shows no sign of waning, 13 years after he coached his last AFL match, at Carlton, he prepares to saddle his first runner at Flemington on Saturday.

In a neat amalgam of experience, Johnny Get Angry, named for a 1960s song performed by Joanie Sommers, will take him into the mounting yard as a trainer for the first time, and back to distant footballing roots.

“It feels a bit like I felt as an 18-year-old before my first game [for North] at Glenferrie Oval [in 1967],” Pagan said. “It’s very exciting. I’m a pretty lucky boy to get this opportunity.

“There are similarities to my first game. I remember coming off the bench on the railway side of the ground and getting a handball over the top from Laurie Dwyer. I had a shot at goal with this big torpedo from 80 yards out and it fell short. I thought I was going to kick a goal with my first kick.

“It feels a bit like that with Johnny Get Angry.”

To be ridden by Lachie King, Johnny Get Angry is a $126 hope in the Taj Rossi series final (1600m) behind Cherry Tortoni.

“Look, he’s probably outclassed but I’ll tell you what, he’s not a 100-1 shot,” Pagan said of the unflattering odds.

His licence allows him to train only horses he owns, having been convinced to take out a licence by Troy Corstens.

“It’s worked out well,” Pagan said. “I’ll be forever grateful to Troy for suggesting that I should train horses. I sub-let boxes and staff from Leon and Troy and Flemington. I live just around the corner and I get to spend time in the [trainers’] tower and really enjoy the experience.

“I’ve got six or seven horses and they’re all different personalities, just like footballers. Some are really laid-back and there are others like a filly I’ve got, who’ll pin her ears back when you walk past her box.”