Yesterday at Gawler, a 3YO sprouted wings in the straight to race away and win like a horse going places.
First let’s take a look at his 4.8L win over 1718m:
But as a baby, he was rejected by his mum, abandoned, barely allowed to feed and should have, could have, would have died had he not been destined for better things, oh and been born with a fighting spirit too.
Vacant Block (Ambidexter-Magic Tigress) is his name and it is that bitch of a mother, Magic Tigress who just didn’t want him. She’s probably pro choice I’m assuming.
Anyway, her courageous boy, Vacant Block, is her first child. She’s not had another….which is probably a good thing given her lack of interest in her kid’s well being.
When she had Vacant Block she gave him little attention, no affection and often went out to the other sections of the paddock with her friends at feeding time leaving him to fend for himself.
Poor little bugger.
You really had to see it to believe it. He bleated and whinnied and desperately tried to make her love him. But she thought him an imposition to her lifestyle, and just didn’t want him around.
“So he’d go and stand next to other nursing mares and try and get some milk that way,” said his trainer Oopy MacGillivray who also owns him.
“I think he’s a miracle. To go through what he did as a new born getting little bits of milk in that early stage of life, it made him a survivor and I think it made him a very tough little horse.”
That was evident yesterday when in the 1718m Mdn his rider, newly crowned Gr 1 winner Todd Pannel had him settled in 4th spot before he just ambled up to the lead upon straightening and strode away winning by nearly 5 lengths with his head on his chest.
His survival story is a wonder of nature but made much, much moreso by the fact he might be very, very smart on the track.
“Oh he’s got a future alright,” said Pannell. “He just relaxes and does exactly what you ask him to do in the run. I wanted to be near the speed so I gave him a squeeze out of the gates and it didn’t matter to him that this was just his 4th start in a race, he went where I wanted then just turned off and relaxed.
“He had them beaten a long way from home.”
MacGillivray was a picture of controlled excitement after the race. Yes it was just a low key Gawler maiden, but he won effortlessly.
“He just moves beautifully and I just know he has a fair bit of ability.”
The win took his record to 1 win, 1 placing from 4 starts and $18,700.
And more is to come because he can stay and he looks like he can stay all day.
His dad, Ambidexter, has had the spotlight, limelight and perhaps leading light shine on him now as he is the half-brother to young sire sensation Sidestep.
