Racing: Brushman sweeps all doubts aside

Brushman and Cody Singer win the Wellington Steeplechase. Photo / NZPA

Cody Singer says he doesn't drink much.

So the celebration of his biggest thrill in life - winning Saturday's $50,000 Wellington Steeplechase on outsider Brushman - was a non-event.

The 19-year-old says he was jelly-legged, but that was from excitement, rather than alcohol.

And he had to return to the Hunterville property of his boss Adrian Bull to manage the stable yesterday morning in the absence of Bull.

"Adrian's son works for Mick Price's stable in Melbourne and Adrian has taken his other two kids to Australia for the weekend to see him."

There was excitement enough for Singer at Trentham through the big race being just his third winner as a jumps jockey, but it had a special edge because he went out on to the track on a cold and miserable day convinced he had no chance of winning.

Brushman's owner and trainer Mark Oulaghan didn't instil much confidence.

"Mark told me the horse was probably 12 months away from being up to that sort of company."

Oulaghan thought his other horse, the favourite Yourtheman, would win.

To emphasise how racing is a you-never-know game, Yourtheman flipped mid-race after slipping into a fence on the greasy surface and Brushman got all the breaks late in the race, including rival Richard Cully dropping his whip on Logan James as he and Brushman settled down to a fight at the 300m.

You can have as much talent and knowledge as you like in horse racing, but if luck isn't smiling you've got no chance.

The difference between the two Mark Oulaghan runners was Yourtheman's earnings going into the race were $237,093 and Brushman, who is owned by Oulaghan, $11,700.

Injured jockey Tommy Hazlett, regular rider of both horses, has always had a good opinion of Brushman.

"He's a good jumper, but he hasn't been able to sprint with them in the final stages of the shorter races [4000m compared with Saturday's 5500m]," said Hazlett.

"I told Mark last year that this could be our Wellington Steeplechase winner," said Hazlett, who helped out with the Trackside Television commentary team at Trentham.

Cody Singer paid Hazlett a tribute.

"Tommy's taught this horse well. He relaxes between fences, almost relaxes too much. Ten strides off a fence he chomps on the bit and charges at the jump."

Singer said he thought if he ran a nice fourth or fifth behind Yourtheman, Climbing High and Logan James he'd have been delighted.

"He kept sneaking up place after place in the last round and suddenly I was there right behind Logan James in the home straight.

"He caught the last brilliantly in stride and for a horse to have that turn of foot at the end of 5500m is incredible."

Yourtheman slipped into fence on the far side of the track mid-race, botched the jump as a result and fell heavily.

He landed on rider Daniel Stackhouse, winding him badly.

Despite being bruised and sore, Stackhouse rode at yesterday's South Canterbury meeting, finishing second in the restricted hurdles on Vinopolis.

By the end of the day, he would have felt no pain at all after running second in the maiden hurdle before winning three races on the flat.

Cody Singer's father, Phillip, rode jumpers for three years, later working for Sovereign Lodge Stud.

The young Singer was doing yearling preps for that stud aged 14 when he was offered a two-week apprenticeship trial with Pukekohe trainer Richard Collett. "I did the two weeks and never went home."

It's never going to be an option, but if you could back horses before the finish of a race, you'd have taken $1.30 about Logan James one fence and 400m from the finish.

Logan James looked to be travelling better than eventual winner Brushman approaching the last obstacle and once over it safely he was being declared the winner.

But he was allowed to drift in from wide on the track into the worst of the Trentham footing closer to the inside and the difference was staggering.

In the space of 75m Logan James had lost his advantage of several lengths and Brushman, still out in the best footing, swept on by.

"I'm sure that's what cost him the race," said disappointed trainer Ross Elliot.

Logan James cast a racing plate with a round to travel.

"The clerk of the course was out in the middle, saw him throw the plate and brought it back later."

Because he will now get no extra weight for winning, Logan James will be an even better chance in next month's Grand National at Riccarton.

Climbing High, as he can do, chanced a few fences, making a real botch of the first of the double in the middle with a round to travel.

It took its toll and he was a weakening horse from the 700m.