 | RACING HISTORY |
YEAR: 2002
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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| Yulestar defeating Young Rufus in the 2002 NZFFA |
Lorraine Nolan didn't know what she was going to do if Yulestar went another shocker in Friday's Lindauer NZ Free-For-All at Addington. She even dreaded having to think about it. Going back a month or two, the pacer she co-owns and trains with her husband Ron had looked right on target for Cup Week when he resumed with a victory at Alexandra Park. But things went downhill from there.
Yulestar hadn't raced up to expectations when seventh in the North Shore Stakes on October 11; he was again slightly disappointing when fourth after sitting parked in the Kaikoura Cup because "he should've kicked on a bit better", and then the 8-year-old produced one of his worst performances of his star-studded career when seventh in last Tuesday's New Zealand Cup after having every chance to win it.
At a time when Yulestar should've been peaking, he was going the other way. "It was so frustrating," Nolan said. "He was just too well to be performing like that. Everything appeared to be a-okay, and leading into the Cup he'd looked and trained the best he had all season. Ron and I were really apprehensive about the Free-For-All, because if Yulestar didn't race any better we were thinking...'what are we going to do?'" The Nolans didn't change much between Cup Day and Show Day; they couldn't, because time wasn't on their side. They "kicked a few things around", opting to put half-winkers on their pride and joy in the hope it might wake him up a bit, and off came the figure eight. So when the couple sat down to watch Yulestar score up behind the mobile in the Lindauer, they didn't have any cards left to play.
As it turned out, Yulestar must've decided he had already put his connections through enough heartache. It was time to show them that he still had what it takes. Slotted beautifully into the one-one, Yulestar sped along with the field as the event unfolded at record pace. Down the back straight the Nolans noticed him flicking his ears around, a sign that on any other day would mean Yulestar was happy and ready to pounce, But he'd done exactly the same thing in the Cup three days earlier so they couldn't afford to read too much into it. Rolling out of his cosy spot as he turned for home, Yulestar responded to the stern 'reminders' from his driver Peter Jones and levelled up alongside pacemaker Young Rufus, pulling clear at the finish to win by a length in the sensational time of 2:22.9
Caught up in the melee that goes with winning such a big event, Lorraine made her way down to the birdcage and was surrounded by family, friends, officials and the media. Ron knew he wouldn't see her for a while, but that's okay; that was her 'job'. Preferring to stay in the background, like he always does, Ron slipped quietly out of the limelight and took Yulestar back to the stables for a well-earned wash. "Even though he paid nearly twenty dollars, I can't believe how the crowd responded to him when he came back,"Ron said. "It was amazing. It's something I'll remember forever," he added, choking back a tear. Judging by this rare show of emotion, it was obvious that Yulestar's Free-For-All victory meant just as much to the Nolans as his Cup win two years ago. "No, this is more special than the Cup itself," Ron pointed out. "What with the bad press he'd been getting and the fact that a lot of people had written him off, this really means a lot. We've had the utmost faith in our horse throughout, and at no stage did we ever think of retiring him."
Peter Jones didn't look like he had just won the Lindauer NZ Free-For-All when Yulestar towed him back to the stables. In fact, he didn't seem happy at all. That's because he was in pain, and it showed. Stepping gingerly out of the sulky as Ron Nolan tied Yulestar up, Jones could only say one thing..."He got me a beauty." The reason for Jones's lack of a smile became quite clear once he rolled down his sock, for there on the inside of his right ankle was a glistening welt the size of a tennis ball. From the expression on his face, you could tell that it hurt. Like he is prone to do Yulestar had lashed out with one of his back legs; this time, he had caught Jones napping. He felt the thud of pain just as he was steering Yulestar into th birdcage following his victory in the Free-For-All. This was after Yulestar narrowly missed with his swipe at course interviewer Greg O'Connor when returning to scale, and ironically it happened just as Jones was warning everyone one else to watch out too. If there's anything Yulestar's connections don't like about their pacer, this would be it. The towering 8-year-old gelding starts throwing punches the minute you slip off his rug and begin to gear him up, and his little act is 10 times worse once he's been out there and had a run around. The Nolans are used to it by now, and know to stay alert round their pride and joy at these particular times, but an unsuspecting cameraman learnt the hard way two years ago when getting too close to Yulestar after he won the New Zealand Cup. Knocked off his feet with one swift blow, he ended up spending two days in hospital.
Jones can't say he has been lucky anymore. Doing well to grin and bear it through the myriad of congratulatory handshakes, kisses and photographs that he was met with in the birdcage, Jones was really feeling the throbbing after the long ride back to the stables down Queens Drive. "He was probably getting me back for hitting him so much," he muttered, finally managing a smile.
Jones was entitled to ask for every last ounce of effort out of Yulestar in the Lindauer though. He too has had to wear the pressure of the Hawera Hurricane's indifferent form, moreso than people probably realise. So having put the pacer in a positionto win the Free-For-All, he was determined to finish the job. Right from the word go it was a truly masterful drive by the 47-year-old reinsman, who would've well aware of the speedthat was all around Yulestar as the lined up in gate two.
Pic Me Pockets, Young Rufus and Disprove all left the mobile humming in the $100,000 Group 1 feature. Jones did not panic during the early rush, sitting quietly behid the trio and staying on the outside of Holmes D G to keep off the fence, then into the first bend he hunted up inside Disprove to force him and David Butcher to cross to the parked position. Pic Me Pockets had gone to the top and then handed over to race favourite Young Rufus, Yulestar slipped beautifully into the one-one sit. The pace was a cracker, and Jones had no need to change anything as Young Rufus led the field along at a breathtaking rate. Nearing the home turn Jones knew they had gone some time; he also knew that Yulestar felt better than he had three days earlier too. He eased the pacer into the clear once they rolled around the last bend, and after sensing that he was balanced Jones hit the turbo button and thet set sail for the line. Passing the 150 metre mark Yulestar was reaching top speed; 100 metres out the levelled with the gallant pace-maker who just would not lie down, and 50 metres from the finish the pair hit the front and started to draw away.
"He was the Yulestar of old today," Jones said. "You had to be disappointed with his run in the Cup. Everything worked out perfect for him, but when I pulled him out he just melted. Idon't really know if the half-winkers helped or not, but he was a hundred percent today."
Credit: John Robinson writing in NZHR Weekly