 | RACING HISTORY |
YEAR: 2009
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
2009 WOODLANDS NEW ZEALAND FREE-FOR-ALL
Monkey King became the 28th horse in our sport's history to achieve the notable NZ Cup/NZ Free-For-All double in the same season when he produced another brilliant display at Addington on Show Day.
It was typical Monkey King-like stuff: sitting off the pace, waiting like a sniper to pick off his opposition one by one. For when it comes to having the last say, few can pack a punch bigger than the Monkey's, and if anything his win in the $250,000 Group 1 Woodlands Free-For-All on Friday was even easier than the Cup victory three days earlier.
"Far out," said trainer 'Benny' Hill afterwards, pausing to reflect on the enormity of his pacer's performances during Cup Week. Hill and the rest of Monkey King's connections were understandably still buzzing from Cup Day. 'Sam' iced the cake for them, but his victory was even sweeter because it also included the prize scalp of Auckland Reactor.
Like Auckland Reactor's other four rivals, Hill knew they were going to have to be good after watching the champ romp around Addington in record time on Cup Day. "We sort of didn't want to be too negative heading into this race," he said. We thought we would run second to him, plus there was an element of hope that Monkey would win if things went his way. I know that Monkey couldn't have done what the Reactor did on Cup Day - running a 1:53 mile rate like that, and doing it easy. Horses have their purple patches though, and this is his week. Our aim is to have him this well again next year, and try and come back and do it all again. In the meantime, we will just enjoy this moment while we can."
If there were any doubts about heading across the Tasman for the Miracle Mile, they disappeared in the space of two and a half minutes on Friday. "We were probably already going anyway, but today has sealed it," Hill said. "And if anything, that race in Aussie should be even more set up for him ...a lovely big track, and eight nice horses in the race that should ensure that the pace is true. He is a real neat little athlete, and he's different to most horses in that he is only 430kgs compared to the norm of around 530. But it's just the way he conducts himself and looks after himself - he's not hard work."
Hill kept a close eye on Monkey King in the days following his epic Cup victory, saying that despite the lure of another big carrot on their back doorstep, the pacer would not have been there if he hadn't come through it with anything less than flying colours. "The other four I had in all had a bit of a cough after their runs today. But when I took Monkey for a pick of grass this morning he let out a squeal and tried to front-foot me a couple of times - so I knew he was right, the little bugger."
There was plenty of controversy surrounding last Friday's Woodlands Free-For-All, with other talking points being the driving tactics of Phil Butcher but more importantly the shock defeat of Auckland Reactor. Not one person could take anything away from the little black rocket from Dancingonmoonlight Farm though...this was his time, and Cup Week in 2009 will forever be remembered as the 'Year Of The Monkey."
Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 18Nov09