“Bred it, own it, train it, shod it and strapped it – pretty happy with my starter!”
That was Darwin trainer Patrick Johnston’s post on Twitter after three-year-old gelding Ankle Rolex won an 1100m maiden on debut at Fannie Bay on December 31.
The son of Cable Bay will back up on Saturday at Darwin’s first race meeting of the year when he steps out against 0-58 opposition over 1200m.
Johnston is feeling optimistic, if not confident, and looking back to New Year’s Eve he was buoyant.
“I didn’t think he could get beat,” he said.
And he based that assessment following the 900m trial form Ankle Rolex produced on November 22 and December 20 leading up to his first start.
Johnston’s charger was set to make his first appearance on December 17 in a 1200m maiden before the Darwin meeting was abandoned when the dirt track was deemed unfit following a thunderstorm.
“I was pretty happy when he was supposed to race at the meeting in the middle of December,” Johnston said.
“He trialed well, just beaten behind Vanivalu – I thought he’d go pretty close that day.
“When that meeting didn’t go ahead and I trialed him again, and he beat Charretera, I thought that sort of form doesn’t get beaten in a maiden.”
In that maiden on the final day of 2022, Ankle Rolex settled behind a pack of seven runners vying for the lead before jockey Phillip Crich had the $8.50 hope with Ladbrokes sitting nicely in fourth place approaching the home turn.
Once straightening and with 350m to go, Ankle Rolex set sail after runaway leader Laylah’s Wish before claiming victory by two and a half lengths.
“Going into the race, I sort of left a fair bit up to Crichy,” Johnston said.
“I was hoping that the horse would be able to roll forward.
“He jumped fairly well with them, but a couple went quicker early and he ended up in a bit of traffic.
“He was racing keenly and wide – not a lot went to plan, but I think his quality got him through.
“In the end, he found plenty and I think he goes better than Darwin wet season grade.
“Even with his greenness, I think his quality just sort of showed through and it gives you a look at what the horse might become when the penny fully drops.”
It’s early days, but Johnston, who remarkably celebrated his first winner with his very first runner as a trainer in 2014 when Class Beats saluted at Fannie Bay, believes he could have a good horse on his hands.
“Yeah, absolutely, he might be the best horse I’ve had for a while,” he said.
“I’ve had a couple of handy ones the last couple of years.
“El Sicario and She Shines Bright were both nice ones for me.
“But this one is sort of giving me flashbacks of Delta D’Or – Ankle Rolex may be even better.
“I think he’s a very nice horse on the up – he’s come through the last run very well.
“Young horses – it’s a bit of a race by race proposition whether or not they’re going to need a spell, whether or not they start feeling their shins and all those sort of complications you have, but with all things being right with him I think he should be winning this weekend.”
Johnston’s parents Fran Houlahan and Brian Johnston, who once trained Class Beats in Victoria before he was transferred to their son’s stable when he started his training career, have a connection with Ankle Rolex.
“Yeah, my parents trained the dam (Key Of The Nile) and the grand dam (Red Nile) as well,” he said.
“They bought Key Of The Nile as a yearling and we raced her.
“She was a handy enough horse – I think she won seven, a handy commercial type of horse.
“They got a couple of foals out of her that weren’t much good and then they gave the mare to me.
“I was lucky enough to jag a nice one my first go.
“Red Nile won the Mannerism Stakes at Caulfield in 1997 – she also won three on a Saturday in Melbourne and had four other wins in Victoria.”
“She was a very good mare.”
Meanwhile, the first Alice Springs meeting of the year scheduled for Pioneer Park on Sunday has been postponed until next Saturday, January 21.
The Alice Springs Turf Club started refurbishment on its dirt track following the meeting on December 18, but relentless wet weather in the Red Centre has caused delays.
Heavy rains have ensued in Central Australia as a consequence of the former topical Cyclone Ellie.
“They’ve probably had up to 130mm there in the past week or so – that’s unheard of for this time of year,” Thoroughbred Racing Northern Territory chief executive officer Andrew O’Toole said.
“That holds you up for a day or two because you can’t get graders on the track – it’s too wet.
“Poor old Alice had another 21mm on Thursday – they’ve had no luck with the weather doing their track up, so we moved them back a week.”
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