Racing: Hard work rewarded for Norvall

Veyron dashes clear to win the Easter Hcp at Ellerslie on Saturday. Photo / Getty Images

One of the first things Rogan Norvall said to Cambridge trainer Linda Laing after scoring his first group one win on Veyron in Saturday's $200,000 Land Pride Easter at Ellerslie was: "I'll see you at the track in the morning."

The fact that level of loyalty can still exist in such a tough, big-money industry as the thoroughbred racing is so magnificent.

Raceday jockeys at training tracks on Sunday morning are harder to find than field mushrooms have been this year.

Rogan Norvall won't mind us saying this - he is not generally considered a group one jockey.

He won on Veyron because he is Cambridge's most dedicated trackwork rider and Linda Laing, and her recently retired father Royce Dowling, engage his raceday services totally.

He rides all the stable's raceday horses.

"Regardless of anything, Rogan will always be at the track to ride your horses, seven days a week," said Laing.

He rides more trackwork than just about anyone, but often loses the raceday mounts to a number of other riders considered more fashionable jockeys.

That must at times greatly disappoint the South African, but his cheerful and often wickedly humorous personality masks it well.

You can really only guess how satisfying it must have felt to be on Veyron's back three lengths clear of the opposition on Saturday.

"It's wonderful, it's like your first win," was his way of describing it.

The depth of Norvall's loyalty became obvious last year when he received several job offers in Australia, one a particularly lucrative management position with one of Australia's leading stables.

"I sat Rogan down and told him he had to take it because it was a lifetime opportunity," said Laing.

"And apart from the money I told him the lifestyle in Australia was much more attractive.

"He said, No, he thought a lot of Jethro [Veyron] and wanted to stay with him."

It was good judgment because Veyron was only just starting out at that point on his current amazing run of form that has seen him win seven of his past eight races.

Veyron has been big and more than a little slabby and has matured through each of his winning runs to front up better the next time.

The progression has been remarkable.

"He's still six months away yet," says Linda Laing, in which case he will be an awesome racehorse late this year.

"He's so big he barely fits into the starting gates at Ellerslie.

"He looks more like a 2400m horse, but he's got so much natural speed."

Veyron won stylishly at Te Aroha the previous Saturday and even though making a giant step up to run in the Easter, Laing knew she had the right horse for the job.

"I swear he grew another leg during the week, which is amazing because I've asked him to peak three times in this preparation, which is very tough on any horse and he just keeps stepping up."

Norvall is in awe of the horse.

"He runs such effortless sectionals."

That was so evident on Saturday. Veyron sat outside the speed and on the home bend looked as though he'd just joined in while the others were well off the bit.

At that point you would have taken $1.20 about his chances.

"I was worried about the ground, but he handled it beautifully," said Laing.

It was the Cambridge horsewoman's first group one victory on her own account, the previous one being the Brisbane Cup in partnership with her father Royce with Limitless, appropriately Veyron's grand-dam.

Laing says Saturday was a blur. "I had something like 27 missed calls on my cellphone and 55 text messages."

Uppermost in her thoughts were her husband Martin (Lumpy) Laing, who recently died suddenly and didn't get to see his favourite racehorse win his group one on Saturday.

"This is a marvellous game you know," said Laing yesterday. "It can be very tough, but there are some wonderful people in it. No matter what happens you've always got mates."

Well-backed Foxton visitor Fears Nothing from the back fought bravely for second ahead of the marvellous oldtimer Sir Slick, who simply gritted his way to the finish to take third in the last stride.

The last thing Linda Laing said to Rogan Norvall before she left Ellerslie on Saturday was: "Don't bother coming to the track in the morning, I'm giving the horses a day off".

He went anyway.