Graham gets surprise reward for patience

Likeable northern Victorian harness racing horseman Graham McDermott is still pinching himself after scoring an impressive first-up win with a promising youngster.

McDermott and his wife Tanya (of HRV Hero Program fame) are based near Toolleen, 30 minutes east of Bendigo, and didn't expect the three-year-old gelding Heres To You Jimmy to go all that well at Tuesday night's Shepparton fixture.

But the square-gaiter, by Bacardi Lindy USA out of the Wind Cries Maori-sired broodmare Singing Creek, on the comeback from a fractured fetlock to his offside front leg, took out the $7000 Your Sold Real Estate Trot and made a huge impression.

"It was really a big surprise because we were just hoping he would do everything right. The plan was to keep him out of trouble, and I was looking for a race where we would draw off the back row," a jubilant McDermott said.

"He doesn't work with any real high speed at home. He's not a megastar, but I guess I'm entitled to dream a little now," he said.

Part one of the McDermott race strategy panned out – the horse drew barrier 10 on the second row and was eased out to settle as planned.

But the pair was still spotting the leaders about 50 metres going down the back straight.

"When I pulled him out with 600m to go, I thought I may have been too far back to get into it," McDermott said.

"I was looking for a cart-up, but he really backed me up. When he started to knuckle down, I was pretty excited because I thought he could sneak a place.

"As we got closer to the others, we had some momentum up and I did think then that we were a chance. The consistent splits of 31.3, 30.6 and 30.1 suited us and then the slower final quarter of 32.1 was where we were able to win it."

Watch the race replay click here: 

Heres To You Jimmy was ignored in betting, starting at 40/1. He was bred by Jenny Johnson, partner of former outstanding trainer Graeme Johansen, who prepared a magnificent trotter of the 1983-90 era in True Roman (winner of 71 races and $515k).

McDermott, who combines training with breaking-in horses, said he'd educated a few over the years for Jenny and Graeme.

"They asked me if I could take him and try and straighten him out. He was running crooked and was a bad puller. I really didn't have much luck and later down the track they asked if I would be interested in leasing him," McDermott said.

"He's actually been a hard horse to get on with. He can be quite temperamental and on top of that we had to nurse him through his injury.

"Early on he wasn't shaping up and I thought he mightn't make it early. Then we noticed him lame one day, not all that bad, but it was off to the vets. That was when we found he had the fracture, so he was compression bandaged and confined to a stable for six weeks. The Bendigo Equine Hospital staff were terrific.

Here’s to Jimmy during his rehabilitation from a fractured fetlock

"Later he was put out in a slightly bigger yard before a small paddock-this was over a period of four months. I hadn't had a lot of expertise in that field, having just dealt with sprains and tendon problems over the years.

"He's been here over 15 months now and he's part of the family, so we were pretty patient with him. I would have been heartbroken for the horse if something had gone wrong along the way.

"There's no problems what-so-ever now, so in hindsight he possibly just needed time. He's a very happy horse at present and trotting a lot better."

Heres To You Jimmy is raced by Graham and Tanya's daughter Morgan, along with Tanya's parents Geoff and Jan Morison, her aunt Helen Morison, close friend Shirley Macdonald and a longtime stable client in Terry Ryan.

McDermott, who generally prefers to leave the race driving to the professionals these days, admits he may just be tempted to retain the drive.

"I only decided to sit on because the horse has a few little issues-but they do say good horses make good drivers!" he joked.

 

Terry Gange

NewsAlert PR Mildura