By Paul Symes

The Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) has traditionally been the domain of the rich and famous, but David and Emma-Lee Browne will be gatecrashing the party with their $14,000 bargain buy McGaw after the speedy son of I Am Immortal (I Am Invincible) bounced out of his first stakes win last Saturday.

Blueblood colts Switzerland (Snitzel), Home Affairs (I Am Invincible), Ozzmosis (Zoustar) and Exceedance (Exceed And Exel) were all whisked off to stud shortly after winning the Coolmore, but there will be no need for the Hunter Valley farms to approach the Brownes should their gelded “goofball” upstage his supposed superiors at Flemington on Saturday, November 1.

McGaw’s unfashionable breeding and paltry price-tag is perfectly in keeping with the Brownes’ training philosophy and their low-key, no fuss approach to life in general, with an admirable unwillingness to take themselves too seriously providing a refreshing contrast in an industry which is often mired in politics and occasional backstabbing.

Their determination to enjoy the journey persuaded McGaw’s motley crew of owners to knock back some seriously tempting offers from Hong Kong in the wake of his breakout win in the $1 million VOBIS Platinum Showdown (1200m), and their steadfast resolve has been duly rewarded with a crack at the Coolmore – potentially via the Gothic Stakes (Listed, 1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday week.

With regular rider Damian Lane unavailable on Victoria Derby Day given his riding commitments at the Tenno Sho meeting in Tokyo, Lachie Neindorf is tipped to take over in the saddle for the Coolmore due to his impressive recent form and his intimate knowledge of the horse, having routinely partnered McGaw at trackwork and in his recent Flemington jumpout.

The decision is yet to be officially rubber-stamped, but what is certain is that McGaw has now banked almost 60 times his purchase price having taken his prize-money haul to $835,720 with victory in the Danehill Stakes (Gr 2, 1100m) at Flemington last Saturday.

Given that the Coolmore carries a prize fund of $2 million, there is every chance that his impressive tally will receive another significant hike but McGaw, with his tendency to daydream one minute and stargaze the next, is blissfully unaware of what is at stake.

“Nothing bothers or fazes this horse and he came through the run super,” Emma-Lee Browne told ANZ News.

“He ate everything on Saturday night and was back to his usual goofy self on Sunday. He still doesn’t know what he’s meant to be doing half the time, either in the stables or at the races, but I suppose that’s all part of his charm.

“We’re just working out how we get to the Coolmore, whether we give him another run in the Gothic or just go straight into it with maybe a jumpout the week before. He had quite a big gap between races when he won The Showdown, that seemed to suit him so it’s definitely something we’d consider again.

“I also think the jumpout leading into the Danehill Stakes was a big factor in him winning the race, because it gave him another look at the straight and seemed to help spark him up and get him switched on a bit more. He was still green and had a good look around in the race, but once Damian wound him up he really flew home so it was a massive thrill for everyone in the stable and his owners to see him win a race like that against some quality sprinters.

“Maybe after he ran fifth at his previous start [in the Poseidon Stakes] some of the owners might have regretted turning down the money from Hong Kong, but I’m sure they’re delighted they stuck fat with him now. Obviously the Coolmore will be another huge step up for him and he’ll need to find a few lengths, but his coat hasn’t come through yet so there’s still plenty of scope for improvement.

“To be honest we’re all just pinching ourselves that we’ve got a horse even capable of running in the race, but the horse is in great form and he’s never let us down in the past. He’s been a real marvel and even though we’ll be going up against some of the best sprinters in the world, you only get one crack at the Coolmore so we’ll be giving it a shot.”

Victory for McGaw, who is rated a $14 chance in the early Coolmore markets, would mark a first at racing’s highest level for emerging stallion I Am Immortal. At a service fee of just $8,800 (inc GST) and with two stakes winners to his name, the Swettenham Stud resident represents tremendous value.

With Toronado (High Chaparral) out of action this breeding season due to a significant recent infection and lameness, I Am Immortal and his barn companions will need to take up the mantle at Swettenham.

If McGaw or Philip Stokes’ Toorak Handicap (Gr 1, 1600m) contender Athanatos (I Am Immortal) can make a timely breakthrough over the coming weeks, the phone of the farm’s principal Adam Sangster is likely to be running hot with some last-minute bookings.

Given that they tend to shop at the lower end of the market, the Brownes quickly caught onto the fact that I Am Immortal’s prodigy were quite capable of outperforming their modest price tags and promptly acquired a handful of his yearlings at the sales earlier this year, including filly Got Tickets who trialled at Caulfield last week.

The one that got away, however, was Lot 354 at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, which was instead knocked down to Busuttin Racing. If Team Browne had the benefit of hindsight, with $571,000 in prize-money about to fill the coffers, they might have been in a position to increase their budget – as Emma-Lee explained.

“We love the breed and we did try to buy McGaw’s full-sister at the sales, but we came up just short,” she said.

“I think we went to $150,000 and she sold for $160,000, so it was a shame to miss out on her but the sale was just before his win in The Showdown. If it had been afterwards, I reckon we would have come away with her because the owners could’ve definitely afforded another bid or two with the money they won.

“But that’s life and we’ve still got a few nice two-year-olds by I Am Immortal in the stable which we really like, so hopefully one of them goes on to become the next McGaw.”

McGaw wasn’t the only impressive performer on Saturday, with stablemate Pondalowie (Deep Field) making up significant late ground to finish fourth behind Miraval Rose (Grunt) in the Rose Of Kingston Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m).

Her co-trainers are now toying with the idea of backing her up at Caulfield this Saturday, either in the Toorak Handicap or the Ladies’ Day Vase (Gr 3, 1600m).

“It was a much-improved run and she’s really enjoying getting up in distance now,” said Browne.

“It was a little bit frustrating because she’s been slow away in her previous runs, whereas on Saturday she jumped well but we had to go back from the wide gate anyway. But she really closed off really sharply and has pulled up very well. We will consider backing her up on Saturday because she’s definitely ready for the mile now, but we’ll see how the fields look before making any decisions.”

One horse who will be lining up on Saturday is Scary (Shocking) as the four-year-old bids to build on his last-start runner-up finish in the R.M. Ansett Classic (Listed, 2415m).

Given that he currently sits in 38th place in the Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) order of entry, Scary would in all likelihood need to win Saturday’s Herbert Power Stakes (Gr 2, 2400m) and incur a weight penalty in order to guarantee a start in Australia’s most famous race.

The Brownes were on track to saddle up their first Melbourne Cup runner when Basilinna (Staphanos) earned a golden ticket via the Andrew Ramsden Stakes (Listed, 2800m), only for a chipped fetlock to dash their hopes; but with Scary bouncing back to the sort of form that saw him finish second in last year’s Victoria Derby (Gr 1, 2500m), the dream is still very much alive.

“We need to get his rating up to scrape into the Cup, but it was just great to see him find some form at Mornington last time,” said Browne.

“His run was fantastic and he was still carrying a little bit of condition, so he possibly peaked on his run but he should be even fitter on Saturday. He’s a big horse and he wobbled a little bit coming round the turn there at Mornington, so getting back on a bigger track like Caulfield should definitely suit him. It would obviously be a dream to have a runner in the Melbourne Cup, so hopefully we can get there with him.”

Original Article: https://www.anzbloodstocknews.com/quick-draw-mcgaw-aims-to-fire-a-shot-at-the-coolmore/