| FEATURE RACE COMMENT |
YEAR: 2006
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But in the end and where it counted, Ferjiemack and Gotta Go Cullen were locked together as they hit the line - inseparable, even in today's world where technology can sort out the closest of race finishes. Both horses deserved their victories because they worked hard for them...Gotta Go Cullen burned plenty of early petrol into the first bend to wrest the lead that Thorn so dearly wanted, and Fergiemack had been parked from the outset before receiving cover from the only mover in the race (Christian Warrior) 800 metres from home.
At that stage, having gotten away with a couple of easy quarters and seeing where Herlihy was, Thorn let Gotta Go Cullen "go a little bit" and they sped down the back straight in 28.6. The final quarter was half a second faster still; Fergiemack peeled out of his one-one position on the last bend as Changeover surged through on the inside as the line drew nearer, only to fall a half-neck short.
It took what seemed an age before the dead-heat was declared, and even back at the stables you could tell that Thorn was still trying to get her head around what had just unfolded. "It has just started to sink in now," she said, knowing she had created her own little piece of history. "It feels like we lost, but we won. To even draw with Tony in a Group 1 is amazing though, because he is one of the best drivers in New Zealand."
Prior to the Sires' Stakes Final, Gotta Go Cullen had been the star 2-year-old all season, winning five of his seven starts and being placed in the other two. He had even proved to good for Fergiemack in his first three raceday appearances, but many believed that the gap between them had closed - especially since Fergiemack had won his next two starts, and the fact that Gotta Go Cullen had not raced for seven weeks.
Thorn's mind was at rest after the latter's slashing midweek trial at Rangiora. "It wasn't so much the way he went in the trial, but how he recovered," she said. "He showed he was ready for tonight, and that he wasn't stressed by anything. And it was so good to feel him try after he was headed, because he hasn't had to do that much. I was looking for Tony because I know his horse has always got that devastating finish, and my boy had not learnt to race them up until now. He is just going to keep getting better.
For Fergiemack's trainer/driver, he was quite happy to walk away with a shared victory in the Sire' Stakes Final rather than being on the losing end of a nose decision. "He just cocked his head a little bit and got sideways down the straight," Herlihy said, re-living how close Fergismack came to costing himself the race. He made us worry a little bit the first time I started him, and he has lugged out a couple of times since then too. Hopefully the trip down here will help him mature up a bit."
Also by super sire Christian Cullen, Fergiemack never burst onto the 2-year-old scene in the same fashion that Gotta Go Cullen did this season, but he is certainly making up the lost ground now. He has kept improving throughout," Herlihy said. "He has always been good-gaited, and he is still growing and strengthening."
Herlihy says he would definitely rate Fergiemack "in the top five" when it comes to the juveniles he has driven. "I have had some nice ones," he said. "Chokin was the best, and Montana Vance was another good youngster. Bella's Boy was a nice 2-year-old too, and had he not run into a freak like Light And Sound he probably would have won a lot more. "This fellow is pretty exciting though, because he has got a lot of potential."
Fergiemack and Gotta Go Cullen will resume their rivalry when they both step out in the NZ 2-year-old Championship at Alexandra Park on June 16.
Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 24May06