AFL legend Denis Pagan made an immediate impact with his first metropolitan runner as a trainer when his juvenile horse Johnny Get Angry (NZ) (Tavistock) ran third as a $101 chance at Flemington on Saturday.
“You can’t beat good luck, can you,” Pagan observed after the two-year-old gelding he trains and owns ran on for third in the Listed Taj Rossi Series Final (1600m).
“Running third, you don’t want to get too carried away but it’s just exciting first runner at Flemington,” Pagan told Racing.com.
“It’s just like playing my first game of footy – a terrific feeling.”
Johnny Get Angry made his debut for the Corstens’ team late month but had been transferred to Pagan during the past few weeks. Pagan said the two-year-old gelding impressed him.
“He was terrific,” the two-time premiership winning coach said.
“He just got held up for a while but when he got out, terrific. It really gives us a positive outlook for the future.”
Pagan said the Tavistock gelding will run next in two weeks at Flemington over 1800 metres before a short break to potentially contemplate a race or two in the spring.
Johnny Get Angry is a graduate of Bradbury Park’s 2019 Karaka Book Yearling Sale draft and was purchased by Corstens and Pagan, who also owns the horse, for $50,000.
