News & Media

27 June 2012 Wasting No Opportunities

They waste no opportunities yet one of the dynamic duo has to waste hard to take the ride and be part of the team.

Both are professional, tough, ask for no quarter in a race and give none.

They are Texan and jockey Peter Hall.

Take Texan first. The former NSW galloper had five starts over there winning one race and was second on another occasion, both at Gosford, in January 2011, as a young galloper for trainer Gai Waterhouse.

He has had bone chips removed and has a calcified joint but beach and sand work has really improved him into a rock solid performer for WA leading trainer Adam Durrant. 

Since coming West he has developed into a real competitor and has never finished further back than fourth (ditto for his short NSW career) and from a total of 15 starts the Stratum four year old gelding has yielded six wins, three seconds and two thirds, for a total of $155,540 in prize money.

Texan has been in work for a while and in fact he won at his first start in WA on March 7, defeating The Puzzler at Ascot.

It took a smart galloper like Rose to beat him at his second start, later that month, and then Hall piloted him into third behind Nine Tenors and Lisetta at Pinjarra on April 1.

After claiming apprentice Ben Paterson emulated that place to be a neck behind Shario Torio and Elyssa Grace on April 11, Hall resumed for the gelding's two consecutive wins over Cassidy Cowboy, in a spirited duel and then over stable mate Silver Trader, a fortnight later.

A fourth behind 1000m specialist Right Time followed on May 26 and then Paterson was back on to claim weight, and a win over Numerous Secrets and Almachino on June 2.

Hall returned for the next ride and another spirited fight with Bombora (Pat Carbery) down the home straight saw victory for the Oz Racing syndicate horse trained by Simon Miller.

Texan gave away 3kg to Bombora but refused to lie down and fought back after being headed by Bombora to be a game second.

That race was a study in contrasts between jockeys with Carbery giving almost a cool JJ Miller-type performance in virtually disdaining to use the whip on Bombora while Hall was using his customary vigour with Texan responding.

The race proved two things: one that Texan was a fighter that was going to continue to win races and that Bombora had improved immensely as a galloper under Miller.

One week later, on June 23, Texan proved himself to be just that and despite Gum Nut Guru trying valiantly Durrant's gelding again refused to surrender, this time prevailing over the grey.

This victory was Hall at his finest.

The heavyweight jockey normally rides at 57 kg but with manic determination got his weight down to 54.5kg to take the ride.

As MC Wes Cameron said in his post-race comments "they backed Texan as if there was no tomorrow" and he and his jockey revealed their professionalism to racing to justify their backers confidence.

Hall's efforts deserve acknowledgement.

In a glamorous sport there is nothing glamorous about wasting to meet a weight commitment. For Hall it meant no food and precious little fluid from the previous Sunday to the race on Saturday. In the last two days the jockey shed 2.5kg.

Clerk of Scales Mark Grigsby, who as an ex-jockey knows something about the dark, hard moments of weight reduction in a hurry, said that Hall was always the consummate professional in this area.

"If Peter accepts a ride then he will make the correct weight. He never fails."

Hall may have to waste to ride some winners but he has shown he doesn't waste opportunities.