31 MOONEE VALLEY RACING CLUB 30 At the beginning of 2021, I was fortunate to be given a full-time position at the MVRC. The more accomplished employee who occupied the role before me was off to Racing.com, and it was a matter of right place, right time. I was ecstatic to tell you the truth. It was a dream come true and the happiest I’d been in so long. Mugatoo defeated Russian Camelot in a cracking edition of the All-Star Mile. Willy Pike weaved his way through for a thrilling victory in the William Reid on Masked Crusader. And that just whet the appetite for what promised to be a terrific Spring with crowds back. Crowds weren’t back. Unfortunately, Covid-19 struck again. Lockdowns were enforced. For the second year running, the Ladbrokes Cox Plate Carnival would proceed behind closed doors. It was disappointing – but the show had to go on, and our job was to make it as good a show as can be. The horses did it for us. There was Zaaki – the horse from the UK who had resurrected himself as a weight-for-age star; ten-time Group 1 winner Verry Elleegant; talented Zabeel entire Mo’unga; New Zealand’s Cambridge Stud star Probabeel; smart Godolphin colt Anamoe; fourth placegetter in the Arc Gold Trip; and the Irish raider State Of Rest. Only a field of 10, but the quality at the top of the page oozed class in every direction. On the Thursday before the Cox Plate, racing officials deemed the French import Gold Trip lame, and he was scratched. We would soon learn it was just the beginning of a drama-filled weekend. 2021 – State Of Rest Jonker took home the Manikato with an all-theway victory for Tony Gollan, with Daniel Moor claiming his second Group 1 at The Valley. The alarm went off on Saturday morning, and major drama number two hit us square in the face. I opened Twitter – the race favourite is out. Zaaki has been scratched with an elevated temperature on Cox Plate morning. Scratchings don’t get any bigger than that. So, 10 was down to eight. The French horse was out, and the warm favourite was diagnosed with a cold. 5pm came around fast. We went to the mounting yard, and the stars of the show did their rehearsal. In the meantime, a terrific betting war was going on between three-year-old Anamoe and the mare Verry Elleegant. Enough rain had fallen to push the track into the soft range, and both horses were adept in the conditions. They went to the barriers equal $3.60 favourites – inseparable. “After a dramatic week, Australia’s Best Race is about to get underway,” Hill said as the last horse loaded into the barrier. The gates crash back, and the bell rings. The speed is on, and the field string out some ten lengths. The lesser chances are at the front, with the eventual first four sitting in the final quartet of running. The leading division begins to tire as the whips start to crack, and the fancied runners emerge. “Running through them – State Of Rest!” The Irish horse, ridden by Ireland’s John Allen, goes to the lead and boots a length clear. Verry Elleegant circles them, giving her all as usual, but wobbles around the turn and loses ground. Anamoe makes no such mistake and takes inside runs to challenge for the lead. Toe-to-toe. Blow for blow. We hold our breath as the thundering hooves get louder, cannonballing down the straight. State Of Rest holds on by half a head. But the race is far from over. After colliding at the 200-metre mark, Craig Williams on Anamoe fires in a protest. Drama #3. A lengthy deliberation proceeds. With no cameras allowed in the steward’s room due to the restrictions, the media is left to peep through the blinds as each camp states their case. Not ideal, but it adds to the drama even more. Two of us are in charge of the social media for the day. I draft up the “Protest upheld” tweet, and my colleague types the “Protest dismissed” version. It can go either way. We wait patiently. Millions of eyes are watching on TV, and still no decision. The horses for race 10 are already parading. After a 30-minute enquiry, the protest is finally dismissed, and State Of Rest is crowned champ. ‘DISMISSED! STATE OF REST wins the 2021 Ladbrokes Cox Plate!’ The Tweet reads. Our phones blow up. Trainer Joseph O’Brien joins his father Aidan O’Brien on the honour roll – Aidan being the first to train an international winner of the race with Adelaide in 2014. “Johnny, can I get a quick photo with you?” I say like an annoying little kid as we walk down the tunnel. He’s just survived a protest and won his first major, but it’s an opportunity I can’t miss. He says sure. I clench my fist and smile, and then he does too. Both of us have our masks on – but the smiles are evident. Another wonderful Cox Plate moment is stored in an ever-growing memory bank. We enjoy the night, acknowledging just how fortunate we are to be a part of it. It’s not long before we start thinking about the Centenary Cox Plate with a full grandstand in 2022. Now that will be something.
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