Jimmy Byrne took great pleasure in piloting the Desleigh Forster trained Apache Chase to victory in the 2021 edition of the prestigious Weetwood contest at Toowoomba on Saturday.
“Desleigh and I have been friends for a long time, and it is always a pleasure to bring home a winner for her.
It was Byrne’s third win in the Weetwood … but it had been a long time between drinks.
“I last won it on Ceffyl (in the 2002/03 season),” said Byrne. “The time before that was on Seawinne (in 1995). It has always been a very difficult race to win.
“When I won on Seawinne I remember she had 60kgs and was the sort of horse you couldn’t get cluttered up on. I think the bottom weight had 51kg … or something like that … so there was a massive weight pull … but she had a real good turn of foot and it was a great effort from her to win on that day.
“My second win was on Ceffyl. I’d come back from overseas … from Macau. I was only back for a couple of months but ended up having a few rides and Ronnie Maund put me on Ceffyl. He told me he thought the horse was going to be hard to beat.
‘In Macau they teach you to bounce and get going pretty quick, so I bounced him and I pushed him straight up and he was just too strong for them.
“It might be a long time between drinks, but it is always a great race to win, whenever it happens.
“Apache Chase did such a good job. I’ve got a lot of time for him.
“Like I say, it is never an easy race to win and Apache Chase had to beat the likes of Soxagon and Desert Lord … you know, these are quality animals … and he got the job done.
“I had Tambo’s Mate buffet into him a little bit coming out of the barriers. He is a big animal Tambo’s Mate … but the good thing is that we have been working on Apache Chase just to get him to switch down a little bit.
“Previously he would go a little bit too hard. Now you can see he has matured into a lot better horse. He is a lot calmer, and he is not actually wanting to run through the bridle and run too quick sections … and your saw the acceleration he had to offer when I asked him to quicken in the straight.
“It was very good … and I don’t think six furlongs is his go. It is a hard six furlongs here (at Toowoomba), but 1400m is where I believe he will be most effective.”
And, with Desleigh Forster talking about a trip down south to the Golden Eagle for Apache Chase, the big question is … will Byrne follow the horse down there for the big one.
“That is a very hard one,” acknowledged Byrne. “I’d like to, of course. I have been double vaccinated so, fingers crossed, the border situation will have improved or at least we will be able to quarantine at home if we still have to quarantine.
“At this stage we can only wait and see how that plays out.”
Forster has handled Apache Chase’s career beautifully with the four-year-old son of More Than Ready now having won six of his fifteen starts banking $788 625 in prize-money.
His wins this season include the two Group 3’s (in the Fred best and the Vo Rouge) and a win in the Listed Daybreak Lover, while he also finished second in the Group 2 Queensland Guineas and fourth in the Magic Millions Three-Year-Old Guineas.
