By Duane Ranger (courtesy of Redcliffe Paceway)
The equine version of Sonny Bill Williams gave Marburg horseman, Anthony Gorman, his ninth career win, and fourth this season, at Redcliffe Paceway on Thursday (August 29).
The 34-year-old former Kiwi, who has only had his Australian trainer’s licence since 2016, has high hopes for the 3-year-old gelding bred by his wife of eight years, Whitney. In fact, he thinks the son of Mr Feelgood could develop into the best horse he has conditioned.
“I know I’ve only trained less than 10 winners here, but I’ve been around horses all my life and worked for several trainers here and in New Zealand. I came to Australia in 2012 and got married to Ron and Shirley Wells’ daughter, Whitney, in 2016, and have been pottering around Ron’s stable for several years now.
“In fact, I played a part in Ron and Shirley switching from galloping to harness training. Ron and Shirley were top thoroughbred trainers in Tasmania, before I met him, and now they work their pwn harness team at Marburg. We help each other out and rely on our wives to do the afternoon shifts when we have horses at the races,” said Gorman, who also works nights at Woolworths in Booval.
Gorman, a qualified chef, said he nicknamed Cosmic Flyer the moment he returned from stud as a weanling.
“He just looked like a natural athlete and the first person that came to mind was my Kiwi sporting hero, Sonny Bill Williams. I’m a staunch Roosters and All Blacks supporter, and Sonny played both, winning two NRL Championships, and two World Cups. The horse-version is still only three and go a lot to learn, but I’m excited about his future,” Gorman said.
“I personally thought he was the best horse in Thursday’s field, and he ay Nathan (Rothwell) obliged,” he added.
The betting public thought likewise making him the $1.80 favourite.
Cosmic Flyer started from gate three in race three – the Darren Ebert NR46-50 Pace, and sat parked for most of the 1,780m mobile. Then turning for home class prevailed and he shot away to win by an increasing 6.5 metres. The brown gelding stopped the clock in 2:08.3 which equated to a 1:56 flat mile-rate. That was 0.9 seconds slower than his personal best of 1:55.1 when he was the despised $34 outsider at Albion Park on July 14 last year.
Cosmic Flyer’s career stats now read 28 starts, six wins, and five placings ($40,577). His only other Redcliffe triumph came when he was the $10-third favourite on June 22 last year.
“Physically and mentally ‘Sonny’ has a long way to go. He’ still learning to be a racehorse and still trying to master his ringcraft. His mother never really hit her straps until she was four. I think this fella could develop into a serious racehorse, because he can easily cut out 55 halves and 27 quarters,” Gorman said.
Cosmic Flyer’s dam, the 2010 Major In Art mare, Goodtime Stride, was also an above average pacer. Trained his older brother Rob, Gorman himself had several drives behind the 22-win ($125,592) 1:53.2 bay mare. Her best performance was running a half-neck second in the Listed Classic Country Series Final and Menangle on September 26, 2015. That was when she was trained by Shane Tritton.
Older brother Gorman, who returned to his native Southland in New Zealand almost two years ago, reflected on Goodtime Stride.
“She was a good horse to us both. I remember the write-up in the NZ Harness Weekly when Anthony drove his first winner in NZ behind the Hamish Hunter-trained Timely Loch in our home-town of Winton. That was his only win in New Zealand as well (in just a season-and-a-bit).
“On the same page as Ant’s story was another write-up about Goodtime Stride being the Sales Topper at 2012 Bathurst Yearling Sale. Some things are just too coincidental,” Gorman (Rob) said.
“She then had 100-plus starts for us, and would have won a lot more than she had she not been a very difficult horse at times to train. Even Shane Tritton had trouble with her,” he added.
The Gormans got Goodtime Stride at three, after being advertised in the ‘Broodmares Section’ as a broke-down 2-year-old. She has since had five attempts to leave a foal between 2019 and 2022, but Cosmic Flyer is her only foal racehorse to date.
“Ron and Shirl have a nice 2-year-old Ohoka Punter filly, who is a massive horse, and after giving her a spell last season we might put her to another stallion, or perhaps lease her – depending on finances. The mortgage comes first,” Gorman (Anthony) said.
But the Gormans wouldn’t have minded spending their hard-earned cash this week. They couple have two children – 2-year-old Eadie, and little harness racing fanatic, Benson, who turned four on the day of the Marburg Pacing Association’s September 1 meeting (Sunday).
In fact, the Club knows how obsessed little Benson is with harness racing. He’s a regular down at the tack in the morning and loves helping out everyone.
“I’m just so grateful that the Club is such a wonderful family community. It’s a great place to work horses. Thanks to Grandad Ron, who is Vice President, and President, Don Gillespie, race two on Sunday was named the Happy Birthday Benson Pace.
“Benson had an absolute blast at the races on his big day. He wore his signature purple and yellow racing silks, which is the Cosmic Lodge Shirt depicting the Wels’ Cosmic Lodge. To say Benson loves harness racing is a big understatement. He loves it.
“He’s got his own little wooden horse at home which he drives in front of the TV. He clips up the legs with tape to look like hopples, and puts a tea-towel on it at nights as a rug, He uses the dog leads and the imaginary horse goes into its table at nights, which is the chair part of a desk.
“He doesn’t miss a beat when it comes to harness racing. Peter McMullen is his favourite driver. I think he thinks he’s ‘Leader Benson’. I’m just so pleased the Marburg Club named a race after him. It’s something he can fondly look back on,” a proud Dad said.
Gorman got his trainer’s licence in Australia in the 2016-2017 season. He has since trained four, three, and two winners in the past three seasons. Gorman never trained in New Zealand, but worked for several top trainers there.
“I only got my license back this season, after having a little break from the industry. I took over from his Ron and Shirl while they were on holiday.,” he said.
His first training success in Australia was at Marburg on September 2, 2017 Baltic Blue Eyes, the 2011 Ohoka Arizona mare he also drove. But that wasn’t his first winning drive. He saluted the judge for the first time here behind Something Slippery at Redcliffe Paceway on September 26, 2012.
“It wasn’t hard to remember that because he was a half-brother to the champ, Slipnslide. I’m not out there enough, and prefer to let the guns do the driving at this stage. I last drove in the 2018-2019 season, but I do have my trials licence,” Gorman said.
Gorman currently works two pacers – the other being the former Narissa McMullen trained, 3-year-old Cammibest filly, Light Up Lovey, who has had 11 starts for Gorman for four placings and four fourths. He also won with Wells’ 15-win pacer Jet Force.
“I want to thank Narissa because she has played a big part in educating ‘Sonny’ this season.”
He said he got into harness racing via his grandfather, Robert Wilson, and his harness racing loving mother, Leone.
“It’s in my blood and I think I’ll always be a horseman. I’m a chef by trade and did my apprenticeship when I left Southland Boys High School. Family, the horses and Woolworths take up most of my time these days, but I’m not discarding a return to cooking one day,” Gorman said.
“We are going to give ‘Sonny’ a bit of a spell now because we want to look after him,” he added.
He said one of his highlights was when Circle Line won the Marburg to Albion Park final on November 25, 2017.
“That was when Ron was at Tamborine and we got Circle Line through Whitney and Shirley for $1,000. He was merely a project horse, who also won his first start at Redcliffe. Both him and Baltic Blue Eyes won their Marburg to Albion heats, and then Circle Line won the final, and Baltic Blue Eyes ran third. That was a very satisfying day,” Gorman said.
Gorman then paid the biggest tribute to his hard-working wife.
“Whitney does so much with the kids while I’m working, and also does a lot at the stable, as well as her own job. Without her input, none of this would happen. She makes it possible for me to race horses, and I’m forever grateful for that,” Gorman said.
For The Record: Marburg is a rural town in the City of Ipswich and is situated in a locality split between the City of Ipswich and the Somerset Region. It is 50km west-south-west of Brisbane, and boasts a population of 1,013.
