 | RACING HISTORY |
YEAR: 2003
INTERDOMINIONS
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The story so far...Kim Prentice has arrived in Christchurch from Perth, where he had taken Baltic Eagle back to for some sea air and beach training after racing in Melbourne. The plan is to take the Inter-Dominion trophy back to where it started, in Perth, 67 years ago.
Prentice has found what he considers the perfect paradise for Baltic Eagle, a beach which runs for as long as the eye can see, a pool if he needs it, and the friendly Woodend companionship of David and Catherine Butt. The pair settle in.
Prentice, a forthright man and one of the few 'beardies' in the game, makes no bones about his assessment of the horse as they prepare for the Thunder Down Under Inter-Dominions. Not only can the big, dark boy stay, but he is well short of being in hard racing trim. It doesn't take much more than two minutes to see that Prentice is a man of his word. Baltic Eagle runs a cracker in the opening-night sprint heat, and hands out a hiding to Stars And Stripes in the second.
In the meantime, Prentice is back and forth to Perth, leaving his forman Matt Whitelaw in charge. He returns for the final week, with him his wife Debbie, and their boys Shannon and Justin. All is going swimmingly; even the barrier drops into his lap. "I just don't want to draw one or ten," he says prior. When Baltic Eagle comes up with the five alley, the talk of the others pretty much dries up. Short odds become shorter. Baltic Eagle has them on the run.
Could Prentice get the horse any better? "It is just a matter of keeping him at the level, because he has tended to put on a bit of weight since he had been here, so I have cut his tucker back a bit." If Prentice needs any reassuring about how well Baltic Eagle is, it comes the day after the barrier draw. "I took him out to the paddock and as I let him go, he gave me both barrels."
Age 42, Prentice was born into a harness racing family; so was his wife, whose brother Neil Lloyd trained Norms Daughter to win the Miracle Mile in the hands of Kellie Kersley, whose father Fred trains the great galloper, Northerly. Debbie started work in her mother's bakery. She was a cake decorator and took up driving later. Kim's first job was in a sports store. After three years, he left and joined a produce company, and for 13 years he lugged sacks of grain around the place. During that time, Kim and Debbie trained three or four horses. Nine years ago they decided "to have a proper crack at it."
However good they were going from then on, the operation took a turn for the better when the owners of Baltic Eagle came knocking last November. Until then, he was trained by Rod Chambers, who campaigned Mon Poppy Day in the Triple Crown Series at Addington eight years ago. After winning his first ten starts for Chambers, Baltic Eagle had lost form. He was sent to Murdoch University where he was diagnosed with a lung infection. This was due to an asthmatic condition that Prentice was able to control by minimising the dry atmosphere. Prentice has his place 130 miles south of Perth, at Bunbury, where he has the use of the local estuary.
Racing without an overcheck - "he doesn't like it, and I have got two or three like that" - Baltic Eagle fired up, winning the West Australian and $125,000 Fremantle Cups over Christmas. His mile rate for the latter, a 1740m mobile, was a rugged 1:56 8. "After that, Debbie did a budget to see what it would cost to travel to New Zealand for the Inter-Dominions, and then we sat down over a cup of tea with the owners and decided to do it," he said.
As the day of the Grand Final drew near, the owners - Mark Congerton, Ross North, a major sponsor at Gloucester Park, and Henry McManus - flew at various times from Perth. They came to see Prentice bring the big bird home. And this is how Prentice did it... "I knew how well he was when he started shying at silly things during his prelim. I thought I'd come out and stay in the open for a bit. Thorpedo and Where Eagles Dare were alongside me, and I thought they would have gone out of the gate harder than they did. I was a bit surprised they didn't. That would have given me some cover for a while if they had done that. I was happy to go back if they had gone a bit harder, but then he grabbed hold of the bit down the back. We actually got to the top sooner than I expected. As long as we did it evenly from there, I was happy."
"When the three-wide line came round, none of them pressed on to have a look at us, and we got away with an easy quarter down the back. That was magic for me. The sit and suck horses could have got me going any slower, but I also know my horse has got a quick quarter in him as well. He does like to loaf a bit in front, so its hard for him to run away from them. We started rolling from the 400. He felt magnificent. What made our confidence pick up was hearing that Facta Non Verba was out. He was the only one who would have been able to come up and give it to us. The others just were not that type of horse. What I discovered was the straight is very long, but very enjoyable. And you might see us again in November. We are keen on coming back," he said.
The Australian horses also ran second and fourth. Mont Denver Gold slunk along back on the inner, and produced his usual quick late burst. He was a place in front of Holmes D G, and two in front of Western Light, another stout finisher from the back. The winning time for the 2600m mobile was 3:12.6 - slower than it took Annie's Boy to win the Consulation.
The stable did not forget their old friends on the night. Prentice wore a black armband on each arm, one to remember Fraser Moody and one for Marlene Harris, both cancer victims. "Marlene was a stable supporter. She loved the horses and idolised Baltic Eagle. She would have a dollar each way on every horse of ours. And Fraser was a good friend of the owners," he said. North had promised Fraser he would bring the trophy back and show it to him when he returned. "It couldn't happen because Fraser died the day before we left," he said.
Prentice reckons the trip has cost about $40,000, and he says it would have been a huge expense "had things gone wrong. But outside of Young Rufus, there was nothing there to worry us greatly," he said. Congerton said the owners were massively impressed by the hospitality they received during their stay. "Everyone, the taxi drivers, hotel staff, club people, trainers and drivers have been great. We are not paid to say nice things, but we have felt like Kiwis since being here. We chased our goal and we are looking forward to meeting Young Rufus in Perth next year."
Baltic Eagle was bred in New Zealand by Richard and Julija Brosnan, by Totally Ruthless from the Tricky Dick mare, Baltic Flight. Julija, along with Edwin Flaherty and John Starr, offered an In The Pocket half-sister at the Australasian Classic Sale, which Starr bought for $40,000. Armbro Gold, the dam of Baltic Flight, is from the immediate family of big winners Arania, Local Gold, Best Dream, Golcourt, top trotter Best Bet and Local Light. Baltic Flight is also the dam of a weanling filly by Il Vicolo and was served this season by Lislea.
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 16Apr03