The King Of Bundaberg … King Klaus … is heading for the Sunshine Coast where he will tackle an Open Handicap over 1000m at the Sunshine Coast Turf Club meeting on Sunday.
King Klaus’s presence will be a bonus attraction on the day.
The six-year-old gelding, trained by Gary Clem, has almost single-handedly raised the profile of racing in Bundaberg where he enjoys the kind of enthusiastic local support befitting that of a nine time winner who has twice taken on metropolitan opposition in Brisbane and come back a winner.
The second of those victories came in his last start at Eagle Farm where he gave champion trainer Tony Gollan’s runner Le Palmier 1.5kg at the weights and a 0.20 length beating in a run which emphasised just how tough a competitor King Klaus is.
Notably, that was also King Klaus’s third win in a row with that hat trick coming on tracks rated from a Good 4 to a Heavy 10 which further underlines his prowess and versatility … as does the fact that his last four wins have come at four different tracks … which basically means he is doing things that a lot of horses can’t do.
“He races on sand … he wins. He races on good tracks … wins. He races on soft tracks … wins … and he races on heavy tracks and wins. He just ticks all of those boxes,” said a very proud Gary Clem.
“When you see those Open 1000m races … he has got to go for them. He just has this will to win.
“Jason Taylor, who used to ride him before he got hurt, said that later on in life he should be able to get 1200m, but right now he is just sprinting like a two-year-old.
“He is a good horse isn’t he … to come from Bundaberg to go down there and take on Brisbane’s best … it’s a feather in his cap.
“When he beat Le Palmier, we were over ecstatic.”
A REAL, LOVABLE CHARACTER
“He is a big, lovely horse. He eats about six kilos a day,” continued Clem.
“I do my own trackwork, and he does two miles a morning and works like a stayer, but sprints. How many horses do that?
“He is a beautiful horse to train. He doesn’t pull on the track. He is excellent around the stables. You cannot fault him … and when he goes to travel … we go to Brisbane, Toowoomba, Sunshine Coast, Rocky … you don’t even know he is on the float.
“He just hold his pose on the float … the trucks go past, the motor-bikes, all of the traffic … and he just stands there and doesn’t blink an eye. He just saves his energy.
“At the races he is just a cool character. He just stands there and looks at everything. Then, when you put the saddle on him, he goes … right, ok then … let’s party.”
THE BACK STORY
“He had ligament damage before he came to me … before he raced. It was a ten percent tear and the owners rung me and said we have got this horse and we want you to take him,” continued Clem.
“The owner said the only thing was that they had him vet checked and he would need a spell. Their the vet indicated he would need seven months off and the owner wanted to make that nine months and I said that would not be a problem.
“I put him in the paddock and monitored him and after nine months I said the horse is ready to come out.
“We got him going and I said we probably should put him in the barriers because he hasn’t seen them for a long time. I said I’d just put him in the barriers here at Bundaberg and … oh my God … he just flew out … and I thought, geez that was good work. There was a wow factor for me.
“I then said to my partner, I’m going to put him with another horse … a maiden who had been running around and running places in the bush, and the way he worked with that horse, even allowing it was still a maiden, made me think we have got a good one here.
“We started him at Gladstone and he just annihilated them up there (he won on debut by 8.75 lengths) … and he was $3!.
“There was a time after that early on where he was struggling to get a run … being balloted out a lot of the time or being an emergency acceptor … but once he got going he has just gone on so well from there … as his record shows with fifteen starts for nine wins, three seconds and a third.”
ALL HAIL THE KING
“We call him The King … and Bundaberg people call him The King of Bundaberg. The race-callers call him the King Champion. It’s just tremendous. He has a big following here and the people get right behind him,” said Clem.
“I just want to say a special thank you to the Bundaberg Race Club. I do two jobs and when I do shift work and finish at 8am in the morning, they keep the track open for me so I can work him. It’s crushing time here in Bundaberg … it’s a sugar city … and also The King is racing too so there is a lot of hype around the place.
“I also want to say a special thank you to Melissa Taylor Racing. When we go down to Brisbane or the Sunshine Coast to race we stay with Melissa and Dale Smith.
“The King has got a stable down there. Every time we go down, we go early and stay the night.
“That’s his second home there. He just walks in and says I’m here … and he is so comfortable and happy there. Like I say, a big thanks to Melissa.
“And, last but not least, I also want to say a special thank you to Jason Taylor. He was the King’s regular rider before he got hurt. He has done a lot to get this horse where it is now and I want to thank him for his good work.”
NOW FOR SUNDAY
King Klaus is scheduled to run in race 4 at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday.
He will be looking to extend his winning sequence to four straight wins and will also be looking to add another Sunshine Coast victory to his record having previously shown a liking for the big track where he has already scored three wins and two runner-up finishes.
Bundaberg residents better be prepared for the roar if he gets home.
