Through The Cracks wins the Polytrack Provincial Championships Final at Royal Randwick (Steve Hart Photographics)
Attending the Inglis Scone Yearling Sale has become something of an annual pilgrimage for Gosford trainer, Angela Davies and longtime supporter/owner, Michael Hohos.
On Saturday at Randwick, the Wanted gelding that they paid just $7,500 for at Scone in 2016 – Through The Cracks – came out and gave his rivals a belting in the $400,000 Polytrack Provincial Championships Final over 1400m, taking his career earnings to $460,950.
Sitting near last turning for home, Through The Cracks unleashed a withering burst over the final stages: cheered every stride of the way by a delighted Davies – the only connection on course.
Having grown up in the street next to Gosford racecourse, on NSW’s central coast, Davies took out a trainers’ licence 25 years ago, but only has eight in work and Through The Cracks is her best thus far.
“I’ve always selected the horses myself at yearling sales and it was pretty tough starting out,” Davies recalls. “Back then, and even now, you get a lot of owners reluctant to put a horse with a female trainer.
“My first winner was a galloper called Tinctures who was owned by the family doctor and I got him after the horse had been rejected by another trainer.
“Tinctures won four of his next starts, including a couple in town, and people started to get a bit more interested and, at one stage, my horses won 18 of 41 races contested.
“I’ve never trained big numbers but I’ve got few extremely loyal owners, including Mike (Hohos), that have been with me quite a while.”
Indeed, prior to Through The Cracks, Davies best horse was She’s a Stalker, who won two at Canterbury, the Magic Millions 3YO at Wyong (defeating subsequent Group One winner Driefontein) and finished third in the Listed Denise’s Joy at Scone: all after being sold for $70,000 at the 2011 Gold Coast Magic Millions Yearling Sale. Hohos had a share in She’s A Stalker too.
“Angela’s got a good eye for a horse and I reckon over the last 20 years or so, nearly every horse I’ve had with her has won,” Hohos points out. “Angela reckons it’s the luck of the Greeks!
“Before Through The Cracks came along we purchased Café Nero for $7,000 at Scone and he ended up winning a couple for us, while La Disco was bought there for $1,500 and she won three races.
“Through The Cracks was a bit immature and I imagine that’s why we got him so cheaply, but we spent the drive back home phoning friends to take shares in him. A few knocked us back but those that said yes were all very happy after Saturday. It’s a fairytale really.”
A son of the Group One Newmarket Handicap winner, Wanted, who now stands at Clear Mountain Fairview in Queensland, Through The Cracks is out of multiple winner More Than Acracker and was bred and sold by Bell River Thoroughbreds (who also raised/sold last month’s Group One Galaxy winner, I Am Excited).
“He (Through The Cracks) took some time getting to the track but showed ability from early on,” Davies recalls. “He won at his second start (as a winter 3YO) but he definitely has some quirks.
“Sometimes he would just refuse to budge and then buck like a mule … in fact, it’s only this prep that he’s got rid of his bad habits. He’s got a great temperament though and loves his strapper – every time she went to try and get a drink on Saturday, the horse would grab her and pull her back into the stall.”
As for the future, Davies was non-committal, but believes Through The Cracks is “still thriving”.
“We’ll wait a week and then decide as to the next step. Things can bugger up easily in this game and you just hope they’re going to peak on the day, but that (the Provincial Championships) was his grand final. Such an incredible thrill.”
HOOFBEAT: Davies is proving to be something of a dab hand at the breeding caper too.
On behalf of long-time client, Premier Park Thoroughbreds, Davies organised the match up of Fastnet Rock winner, Lindy Lou, to Deep Field, with the resultant colt selling to China Horse Club and Newgate Farm for $650,000 at Gold Coast Magic Millions Sale in January, while She’s A Stalker’s Deep Field colt was knocked down to the Hong Kong Jockey Club for $260,000 at February’s Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
