How $55,000 Was Reborn
Hearty mare Fifty Five Reborn taking out race 8 at Gloucester Park on Friday Night. Photo Credit : Hamilton Content Creators
Fifty Five Reborn returned to the winners’ circle after her win at Gloucester Park on Friday night. Recording her 11th career win at her 38th start for trainer and driver Colin Brown, the way in which this impressive four-year-old mare came about is quite the story.
Born on the 2nd of September 2016, Fifty Five Reborn is the daughter of locally stood stallion Renaissance Man and is out of a Bettors Delight mare by the name of Arma Fifty Five, who failed to set the world on fire with just four trials beside her name.
Arma Fifty Five who was bred by Jim Currie, was put through the yearling sales in 2014 and was purchased for a hefty $55,000 by a syndicate of friends, with some of the group looking to get involved in their first pacer. Knowing the group of friends, Currie purchased into the yearling as well, hoping for a little bit of fun with their well-bred filly.
“Glenn Montague is a good friend of mine and he was always a bit interested in the standardbreds. He said to me one day that we should get a horse together and I agreed.” Currie said.
Currie mentioned to Montague that buying a yearling was probably their best bet and with their syndicate formed, the group purchased two yearlings at the sales that year, both fillies bred by Currie himself.
“After I gave the filly to the girl in the sales ring, I went back down to the stables and heard she went for $55,000 and my head was spinning. The group came down to the stables and I said geez I can’t believe those prices, I said did you see who bought them and they laughed and said, ‘we did’.” Currie said.
Both were sent to Colin Browns to be broken in and educated, with the syndicate quickly quitting the first mare due to a lack of ability. Arma Fifty Five was given everyone chance with three preps under her belt, but just didn’t have what it took to be a race horse and it was decided that she would retire to the breeding barn.
“As a young horse all she (Arma Fifty Five) did was poke her tongue out, blow raspberries and chase her tail around her yard. She just didn’t want to run, I don’t know if she could run, but she didn’t want to. I just had no time for her whatsoever. We gave her two or three preps and she just never got any better, that’s why I disliked her,”
“When we sacked her, I was happy enough for us to just get rid of her. Jim had organised the syndicate, he said we paid $55,000 for her plus expenses, we need to give the syndicate some interest. So, he (Jim Currie) said ‘why don’t we just put her to a cheap stallion.’” Brown said.
“I had already been to see Renaissance Man because I liked him as a racehorse, so that’s who we sent her to. I also put her grandmother to him and a couple of other, trying to support local.” Currie said.
In September of 2016 a small little brown filly was born, eventually to be named Fifty Five Reborn. No one could have imagined that she would go on to earn upwards of $170,000 including bonuses for her connections.
“She (Fifty Five Reborn) does surprise you, she surprises almost everybody. She’s sound, she’s a nice horse to drive, a lovely horse to do anything with. We take it as it comes, she appears to have overachieved already and whatever is in the future, we’re grateful for.” Colin Brown said.
A happy Lyn & Colin Brown after Fifty Five Reborn’s win on Friday night. Photo Credit : Hamilton Content Creators.
Speaking to Browns daughter Chloe, ‘Gina’ as she is affectionately known was her trackwork drive as she was bottom of the pecking order and quietest of the bunch of yearlings in work at the Brown stables. As time went on, Chloe Brown realised she was on a winner, but no one believed that the once unruly youngster would completely exceed everyone’s expectations.
“I told dad she felt nice, but they thought I was talking out of my ass. Safe to say I didn’t get the drive back after they sat behind her.” Chloe Brown joked.
“Chloe did do most of the driving on her because she was so well mannered, she would just run. We always had an opinion of her but because she’s not very big and she’s un-assuming, we never had great hopes for her, we just thought she would be a nice little horse.” Brown said.
It wasn’t until her third prep that Brown spoke to Currie and told him that the little mare didn’t go too bad and that they might have something. In her first couple of starts Fifty Five Reborn broke up in running, but after many trials, on the 10th of June in 2019, Gina broke through for her maiden win at Pinjarra.
“I went out to get the picture after she won at Pinjarra, at least we got a win for the syndicate after about five years. On the track Browny said ‘where’s the mum?’ and I said ‘I didn’t tell you, but I’ve put her in foal again to Renaissance Man.” That foal is now Arma Einstein.” Currie said.
Whilst she is yet to win a group race, Fifty Five Reborn has taken out nine metropolitan races in her relatively short racing career but Currie explained that she was unlucky with barriers when it came to the big races.
“She just keeps blowing us away. She is no superstar, but she must have a heart as big as a house with some of the runs she has put in.” Currie said.
Ashleigh Paikos