Racing: Derby victor had much to think about

Mongolian Khan. File photo / Chris Loufte

The most emotional moment in Saturday's $750,000 TV3 Derby came when Mongolian Khan's winning rider Opie Bosson embraced co-trainer of runner-up Volkstok'n'barrell Donna Logan in the birdcage after weighing in.

It was a long hug but Bosson had just one word: "Sorry".

If a picture tells 1000 stories, that one five-letter utterance told 10,000.

Bosson, New Zealand's best jockey, was inwardly delighted with having ridden his first Derby winner, but sad the runner-up had to be co-trained by Donna Logan's former husband Dean Logan, dying of throat cancer back in Northland.

Few were more aware of what this Derby meant to the Logans than Bosson and part of that was slipping through his mind as Mongolian Khan and Volkstok'n'barrell fought out a knock-down, drag-out home straight gladiatorial battle.

Thoroughbred racing is nothing if not brutal where emotions can run high in only one camp and the real celebrations were starting to take place not 30m away from that significant hug as what seemed like hundreds of Chinese swamped Inner Mongolian Rider Horse Industry boss Lang Lin, one brandishing the largest crimson and gold Chinese flag imaginable.

There was barely enough room on the victory dais for those who were entitled to be there and when the presentation had been made by TV3's Mike McRoberts and the victory speeches made via an interpreter the Asian numbers doubled.

Fizzing on the side was Cambridge horseman Graeme Forbes, Lang Lin's contact and adviser in New Zealand, who bought Mongolian Khan for $220,000 at the Ready To Run sale and who spends six months of the year in the Northern Hemisphere summer training the Lin horses in Inner Mongolia.

"You have no idea what this will mean to the New Zealand thoroughbred industry," said Forbes.

"Lang Lin has already purchased 1000 horses to go to Inner Mongolia and that is just the start."

A team of potential buyers from Inner Mongolia arrived in New Zealand on Friday and New Zealand Bloodstock staged for them a mock auction at Karaka to give the members a taste of what buying horses here is like.

"NZB did a fantastic job," said Forbes. "It went off better than you could believe and everyone got a real feel for it. This whole thing is beyond what most people can appreciate in terms of what it means for New Zealand."

As important as he felt that was, Forbes, ever the ultimate horseman, saved his lavish praise for the Murray Baker/Andrew Forsman stable and staff.

"This horse has not been easy and I want to personally thank Murray, Andrew and the staff for the job they've done to get him to the Derby in the right form to win.

"It's been a fantastic effort."

Baker, self-effacing as ever, joked that there might be "quite a few" horses coming their way from Inner Mongolian Rider Horse as a result of the win.

"Terrific horse. I was surprised he didn't start favourite after his Avondale Guineas win. Three starts beyond 1600m for three wins and three starts at Ellerslie for three wins.

"He's a great stayer."

Forsman was as cool and collected as ever, but looked pleased it was all over.