Shaun Fannin leads early on Nells Belle but Gary Walsh and Just Ishi (right) won the $50,000 Hawke's Bay Steeplechase. Photo / NZME
Shaun Fannin leads early on Nells Belle but Gary Walsh and Just Ishi (right) won the $50,000 Hawke's Bay Steeplechase. Photo / NZME
In 1971 when Silver Knight scored one of the most impressive Melbourne Cup victories on record, Gail Temperton watched it on a tiny black and white television on the Gisborne sheep farm she worked with her husband.
The Palmerston North trainer recalled that proud moment when her horse Just Ishi scored a similarly strong staying performance in Saturday's $50,000 Hawke's Bay Steeplechase.
Eric Temperton prepared Silver Knight and Eric's brother Norval is Gail Temperton's father.
Gail Temperton.
"Life's funny isn't it, despite Silver Knight, Uncle Eric became known as a jumping trainer and while he liked them that wasn't accurate - it's just that he used to school most of his horses as part of their training. Bart Cummings often did the same with his Melbourne Cup winners.
Some of the previous generation's polish has carried over because the 9-year-old had 14 starts over hurdles for three wins and three placings and now he is steeplechasing, the tally is four starts for three wins.
An equal amount of the credit must go to Irish jockey Gary Walsh, whose patient performance on Saturday was a masterpiece.
"A bit more than a decade ago when Gary came to New Zealand he struggled for rides, but I watched him and I always thought he was someone I wanted on my horses.
"He rides well and he's such a hard worker."
Gary Walsh.
That last part should be in capitals.
"Gary rides work for Gary Vile at the Palmerston North track at around 5am then maybe one or two for me then he (push) bikes 27km to our property to work the horses then bikes 27kg home again."
There is a good reason for what seems like madness, he says. "I find I don't have to waste close to a race by doing that work."
The Irish are Irish of course.
Gail shakes her head every day. "You want to see the clapped out old bike he uses - anyone else would have thrown it over the tip. The bike broke down 10km from home the other day and he ran the final 10km rather than call me to pick him up. He is just so fit."
The Irish are revered throughout the world as jumps jockeys. In Australia, leading trainer Darren Weir entrusts all his jumpers and many of his flat horses to the stunningly versatile Johnny Allen, who is on fire lately.
Both Allen and Gary Walsh have much to live up to and a great role model growing up - riding against and watching the greatest of all Irish jumps jockeys AP (Tony) McCoy, now Sir Anthony McCoy.
Sir AP rode for 20 years as a senior in the jumping game and despite a massive list of injuries won the UK jumps premiership in each of those years.
When he announced his retirement in 2015 he declared his only wish was to win the one race that had eluded him, the jewel in the crown, the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
On the eve of the Cup he crashed in steeplechase, broke his jaw in multiple places, cracked an eye socket and smashed his nose.
"Well, that's the end," he was told. McCoy is made of tougher stuff.
But you can't have painkillers in your system, was the advice.
Ignoring all advice, Sir Anthony took his body, already full of metal, to a plastic surgeon and told him to fix his face without painkillers.
"Are you mad?" was the reply. It's not recorded what he said to that, but it would have gone something like: "Well, I'm a jumps jockey, work it out for yourself." McCoy arrived for the Cheltenham Gold Cup with his face held together with massive wads of sticking plaster, went out and won the Cup and retired.
As he was fond of saying: "Pain is temporary, being beaten is permanent." AP, sorry, Sir AP, wasn't fond of being beaten.