AWARD DREAMING

Calthorpe in mix with big stables

CHRIS Calthorpe is hoping a $5000 yearling buy can provide him his first Group 1 starter in next Saturday’s Australasian Oaks in what would be a fairytale story for the Geelong trainer.

Calthorpe is hoping Media Award will make the field for the $500,000 race at Morphettville after back-to-back wins, giving a lift to the smalltime trainer after a tough 12 months during the pandemic.

The three-year-old filly, a bargain buy from the VOBIS Gold Yearling Sale two years ago, has claimed $38,225 in prizemoney from five career starts and was impressive in putting away a competitive field at Geelong on Tuesday to justify Calthorpe’s high opinion of her.

He hopes she will gain a start in what would be the biggest race of his career.

“We’re only a small stable, obviously,” Calthorpe said.

“We don’t go and buy the $500,000 yearlings or $200,000 yearlings and don’t have many owners coming through the door giving me horses.

“We haven’t got people smashing down the gates to give me a horse, but the people who are in it, we have a lot of fun.

“It’s a bit of a fairytale, mate, but we’re also realists. We know where we sit in the industry. It’s a very tough industry and you need a lot of good people behind you.

“I’m lucky, I’ve got a couple of good owners behind me and if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have many in work.

“Fingers crossed we can get a start next Saturday.

“Win, lose or draw, it would be a big feat for the horse because the last thing you would have thought when you’ve paid $5000 for a horse is that you’re going to get a start in a Group 1 Oaks.”

Like many in the community, Calthorpe has done it tough since the outbreak of

COVID-19. His horse transport business, which he has run for more than two decades, was grounded and has recovered to half its capacity.

He said Media Award had given a “sprightly step to everyone in the stable”.

“We used to probably fly 350 horses a year around Australia ... but now we might be lucky to fly 200 horses a year,” he said. “Obviously with COVID and what’s happened, the uncertainty of people travelling, people second guess whether they should send horses interstate.

“We’ve still got the business, but it’s not the business it was five or six years ago.”

Calthorpe has always held a high opinion of Media Award.

A jump out at Colac provided a glimpse — “we didn’t think we’d be dreaming of going to an Oaks, but we thought we’d win a couple of races with her and she might pay her way,” he said.

Two minor placings in her first campaign set about a plan for an attack on the Adelaide Racing Carnival.

Calthorpe is confident she will acquit herself in better company.

“Some of the best threeyear-old fillies in the land are in it, but I don’t think she would be disgraced,” he said.

“Barring an accident and nothing going wrong, she could win some more races.

“It would be my first

Group 1 runner — it would be good for my stable.

“It’s a buzz for everyone involved who get out of bed at 4am, we all do the hard yards — whether you’re picking up s..., riding them, swimming them or whatever you’re doing, it’s a team effort and a lot of people would get a big thrill if we can get a start.”

WIN, LOSE OR DRAW, IT WOULD BE A BIG FEAT FOR THE HORSE BECAUSE THE LAST THING YOU WOULD HAVE THOUGHT WHEN YOU’VE PAID $5000 FOR A HORSE IS THAT YOU’RE GOING TO GET A START IN A GROUP 1 OAKS.”

CHRIS CALTHORPE, PICTURED WITH MEDIA AWARD