Hastings return for Close Up and Hales
Shelley Hale’s life-long love of horses reached a triumphant peak at Saturday’s Daffodil Day race meeting.
It’s been a tough mountain to climb for the Cambridge trainer but she will be back at Hastings in a few weeks hungry for more Group I success.
Her 8-year-old gelding Close Up is bouncing around his paddock after his Tarzino Trophy (1400m) win and the team will be back for the second Group I of the season the Windsor Park Plate (1600m).
‘‘He’s feeling great,’’ said a jubilant Hale as she struggled to cope with the welcome flood of congratulations. ‘‘It’s awesome, it’s like he went around in a midweeker, it hasn’t worried him at all.’’
Hale is under no illusions about the task Close Up will face in his attempt to add a second Group I to the stable’s first elite level win last weekend.
But beating the odds with a fair dose of resilience and fortitude is nothing new.
Dreams of Group I glory were a long way from her mind four years ago when she was diagnosed with bowel cancer and her life was turned upside down.
The popular trainer had to disband her promising team of horses and with them went aspirations of Derby success and hopes of developing several promising gallopers..
‘‘All the horses had to go and I had to concentrate on what I had to deal with,’’ she said. ‘‘It was a shock as it always is for people when that sort of thing happens.
‘‘It was also heartbreaking because I had a really good team of horses around me at the time.’’
Surgery and a steely resolve had Hale back working with her beloved horses a few years later
Hale didn’t let her biggest win go by without recognising the Cancer Society, for which Saturday’s meeting was a fundraiser.
‘‘I can’t thank the Cancer Society enough, they were such a help to me,’’ she said. ‘‘The work they do behind the scenes is phenomenal.
‘‘It was a tough time emotionally and financially and I thought to win on Saturday on Daffodil Day was so special and it’s great the racing industry gives back to the Cancer Society.’’
Hawke’s Bay Racing’s Andrew Castle reported ‘‘somewhere in the vicinity of $25,000’’ was raised at the meeting for the cause.
However, Saturday’s dream result almost didn’t happen.
Close Up was on the ballot and only gained a start on race morning from one off the ballot and Hale left his six stablemates behind in Cambridge in a dash to be in Hastings by race time.
‘‘There was a bit of angst on Friday as we heard rumours we might get a start but we didn’t hear officially until Saturday morning,’’ Hale said.
Hale, her son Mathew (18) and her under-rated horse were in the truck and off.
As well as the delight in having her son Mathew acting as strapper, Hale was also thrilled that her favourite jockey was in the saddle.
Grant Cooksley, 57, doesn’t chase rides these days but still enjoys turning up and doing the job when asked. Amazingly, Close Up was just Cooksley’s third ride and first win in over a month of the new season.
‘‘Cookie rode for me years ago and there was a few years in between when he went overseas,’’ Hale said.
‘‘He never says much but the feedback he gives you is a big help – he doesn’t cost a lot in phone calls.’’ Hale remembers the first time Cooksley rode for her, it was on a horse named Gianfranco.
‘‘He was a really stroppy horse and I was afraid Cookie might get brassed off,’’ she recalled. ‘‘Funnily enough the horse played up in the barriers and ran nearly last.’’
The unflappable jockey wasn’t fazed.
‘‘I like this horse,’’ he said and he went out and rode him into second and won on him at his following start and again the next time he rode him.
‘‘Sometimes we are a bit quick to forget in racing,’’ Hale said. ‘‘Grant’s got all that experience, that big race nous and a cool head.’’