Kooringal Stud were well represented at one of Australia’s biggest race days on Saturday at Randwick with The Tab Everest day, Australia’s richest sprinting race held over 1200 metres, with owners and trainers hoping to be part of the $20,000,000 prize money now on offer for the Everest.
Kooringal stallion, The Brother’s War sired Belleistic Kids who ran in the Big Dance Wild Card, Race 2 over 1600 metres, with the five year old gelding performing well on the big stage with Molly Bourke aboard.
Kooringal sire’s bloodlines struck twice in The Kosciuszko later in the day through the top rated Asgarda and Bandi’s Boy.
The Kosciuszko has become the premier country race in New South Wales, culminating in the final at Randwick on Saturday, with 14 thoroughbreds lining up for the chance to be crowned the best country horse in the state.
From the $2,000,000 prize pool, $1,000,000 went to the eventual winner in Far Too Easy.
With runners having to deal with a soft 5 and two of the best horses in the Country NSW, in Far Too Easy and Front Page, The Brother’s War offspring performed strongly with five year old mare Asgarda rocketing down the outside showing a great turn of foot to hit the line well and claim 5th with Gundagai Jockey Billy Owen aboard.
Asgarda took out the Country Championship at the same track in April over 1400 metres, earlier this year, claiming a purse of more than $650,000 for her efforts. The Brother’s War currently stands at Kooringal Stud at a fee of $6,600 and has an average earning per starter of more than $107,000.
The Times caught up with Billy Owen who rode Asgarda.
He said, “Asgarda went super. She was last at the turn and I was probably still last at the 300 to be honest, but we drew a pretty ordinary barrier, which is a big thing in horse racing, so we got dictated to for the first half of the race and ended up back where we were in last and then just had to ride with a little bit of patience and wait until we straightened and she got through the line as good as anything in the race.
“If you went into the data she ran the second fastest 600 of the whole race, the only other one that was quicker was the winner.
“I’ve only been on her for this preparation. Kayla Nisbet used to ride her and she retired after the Country Championships.
“This prep she won at Wagga first up and the owners and the slot holder decided to stick with me, so it was good. I was very grateful for that.
“She is trained by Doug Gorrel at Wagga. There’s about a dozen people in the ownership group and she was bred by Kooringal Stud.
“I didn’t think I could win, but when I got to the outside and she started letting down like she did I couldn’t actually see how many horses were in front of me over on the inside but I thought I was going to run into third or fourth at one stage.
“If she had of drawn a barrier she would have run at least third, if not second and she would have been right at the finish.
“The horse went unreal. I think she will pick up a decent enough race throughout the spring carnival.
“She’s well above the bush standard. I felt that the first time I rode her when I barrier trialled her at Gundagai. You can just feel the better ones. They just give you that feel that they are better underneath you.
“She has certainly lived up to my expectations, she’s absolutely flying.
Billy has ridden 15 winners, 4 seconds, 6 thirds and 11 fourths for $321,270 in prize money and a strike rate of 21.40% this season.