Gundagai’s very own Billy Owen has returned 13 years after winning his first Hair of the Dog Cup to do it all again in 2024. Owen first won the cup just a matter of weeks after commencing his career and he got home on Saturday by just under a length aboard Final Comment trained by Nick Olive.
“I had three rides both days at Gundagai. Friday I had a first starter in the first race. It went okay. The other was okay as well and then the second place in the Cup on Asgarda.
“It was disappointing to find a better horse on the day, but that’s racing and there were no excuses for our mare. The winner beat us fair and square and we will have to keep chasing that elusive Snake Gully Cup.
“It probably looked like it swamped me 20 or 30 metres out on the video but it was probably the last 60 or 70 metres that I could feel the eventual winner was always going to get me on the line.
“I will probably continue to ride Asgarda. On Friday the horse had every chance the owners were wrapped with my ride. They were disappointed to find one better, but she qualifies for the Big and Little Dance by running second.
“She’s only won the one race at Wagga this prep but she’s won over $100,000.
“The owners seem happy with me and I’m certainly happy with the horse and Dougie and hopefully the connection stays there.
“I rode one for Todd Smart (Smarter Than You) in the first race on the second day and it just got beat. She got back in field.
“It was a tried horse they bought and it was its first run for Todd.
She had 62kg, so to run home and just get beaten was a great effort. A stride after the post she was in front.
“They will have a bit of fun with her and she will win one very shortly.
“My second one was no good and then I came out in the Hair of the Dog and won it on Final Comment for Nick Olive and Marty Hay from Gundy who is one of the bigger owners in the horse, so it was a good connection.
“I got six rides for the carnival and I would have been disappointed to walk away without a winner, but I got up on the Saturday in the feature race, so it was great.
“One from six and a couple of close seconds, I was pretty content with that.
“The quality of horses coming out for the carnival is great. The evenness of the races is great and that comes with the quality.
“Both days were great days racing and the track was outstanding. The second day can normally play a bit leader bias but if anything I thought day two played more fair than day one.
“It was a great couple of days.
“We (Owen and Olive) combined to win that race about 13 years ago and it was a month after I kicked off riding. I think it was my 16th or 17th ride and we won the Hair of the Dog. It’s been 13 years between drinks in that race, but it’s funny that we teamed up again 13 years later.
“I’ve got a ride today (Wednesday) at Canterbury on Iron Will that I always ride, it is in the last today so I will go down and ride him and then I had two at Albury but one is scratched, then nothing until Canberra on Sunday.
Owen’s strike rate has been right up there with the best and he is happy to have more rides come his way.
“I’m pretty happy with my strike rate at the moment, obviously I’d love more rides, but you can only do what you can with the rides you get.
