Flemington

ECHOES OF THE PAST In his call of the race, Bruce McAvaney exclaimed “Vo Rogue is home, he’s so far in front!” Even after the race, McAvaney quipped that if he’d had the call again he would have said the same thing. But while Vo Rogue was defeated that day, he captivated the Australian public for the next two years. His origin story made his feats even more amazing. Neither his sire, Ivor Prince or his his dam, Vow, had ever won a race, making Vo Rogue’s galloping talent even more freakish. He was trained by ‘battler’ Queensland trainer Vic Rail, who was known for his unconventional training methods. Despite this, people came in droves to see the daring tactics of Vo Rogue. Bravely going straight to the front in his races, he carved out extraordinary sectional times that most horses found impossible to counter. He won 26 races, earning $3.1 million from 1986 to 1991. He scored six Group 1 wins, including two Australian Cup victories in 1989 and 1990, and two seconds in the race in 1988 and 1991. He also notched up ten wins at Group 2 level. He held track records in six metropolitan racecourses at the same time, a feat that no horse in Australia had ever achieved. Following an injury and a dip in performance, Vo Rogue was retired in 1991 to Jeff Perry’s farm, where he lived out his days until the age of 29. Thirty-six years since that epic 1988 Australian Cup, it would seem another racing phenomenon has emerged in Pride Of Jenni, a mare now garnering support not unlike Vo Rogue. Pride Of Jenni has served it up to her opposition by leading in staggering times against the cream of Australian racehorses. In the All-Star Mile, Pride Of Jenni left her opposition standing when she bounded away before the turn, proving that she will, like Vo Rogue, be highly competitive in this year’s TAB Australian Cup. Vo Rogue’s longtime jockey, Cyril Small, can see similarities between the two horses. “They can both go out and run, and run hard and manage to stave off their opposition,” he said. “It’s an ability rarely seen that horses can run extraordinary sectional times and yet keep going.” Pride Of Jenni’s jockey, Irish-born Declan Bates, agrees with Small that the mare has freakish tendencies that are rarely seen in racehorses. “In her younger days it took a little bit of training and settling, but once she matured she has become the fastest horse I’ve ever ridden in my career. She’s strong, she’s tough and just beats her rivals through sheer speed,” Bates said. It’s an ability rarely seen that horses can run extraordinary sectional times and yet keep going. Cyril Small (Vo Rogue’s jockey) ” “

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