Wall Fillies Making Their Mark
When Sarah Wall trained just the second quinella of her career at Gloucester Park on July 11 it was one of those occasions where it was much more than just a win.
Make Your Mark held off Dontbesillychilli in an exciting finish to the two-year-old fillies event on that night, breaking her maiden status at her 12th career start in doing so.
The result was not only a testament to the job Wall has done with the fillies, but it also paid tribute to her and her husband Chris’ late friend Mark Forster.
Forster passed away last December after a four-year battle with Myelodysplastic Syndrome, a pre-cancer bone marrow disorder which doesn’t produce enough healthy blood cells.
The 35-year-old spent long stints in hospital over the last four years of his life battling the illness and harness racing provided a perfect distraction for him.
As well as fighting MDS, Forster suffered a raft of complications from the chemotherapy including blurred vision, a bladder infection, influenza, a fungi growing near his brain and pneumonia.
After having his legs amputated, he went into cardiac arrest and passed away.
Wall said Forster got a share in his first horse just prior to being diagnosed with the illness and it was a horse special to the stable.
“I met Mark through Chris and they were friends since high school,” she said.
“His first horse he had shares in with us was Wesley and he was pretty hooked after that.
“The horses were such a big thing for him because when he was in hospital he had a bet or would watch our horses race.
“It gave him something to look forward to when he couldn’t get out of there.
“He was always encouraging us to breed more horses and he was buying into them.”
Wesley won the 2016 Champagne Classic and placed in the Group 1 Pearl Classic as a two-year-old.
While the two fillies haven’t had the same success Wesley had in his two-year-old season, they’ve bought plenty of joy to Wall and the group of owners.
WATCH – Make Your Mark’s win on July 11
Dontbesillychilli finished third at her race debut in the Diamond Classic heat in May and followed it up with competitive showings in the Diamond and Westbred Classics.
Make Your Mark made her debut in February at Pinjarra.
Wall said Dontbesillychilli was the pick of the two but said it hadn’t all been smooth sailing getting her to the track.
“For a while it didn’t look like she was going to make the races,” she said.
“She had a lot of problems and I had to start swimming her.
“It was just feet issues and I’ve probably never had a horse like it.
“Her feet were bruising, and she was getting abscesses and it just kept repeating itself.
“Somehow we overcame it and we got to the races with not much time for the Diamond heat and she did a great job.
“Her behaviour doesn’t help either because she kicks out and we had to repair our float on Sunday.
“Her behaviour is some of the cause for what has happened because she is a little bit fiery.”
Wall said it was an easy decision what to name the daughter of Western Terror once Forster had passed away.
“In December it looked like Dontbesillychilli was on track to go to the early two-year-old races,” she said.
“We sent out to her owners, including Mark who was still with us, what names you want to put forward for her.
“Mark responded back with what his six names were and what order he wanted.
“We did go through the naming process before trials the next year, but Mark had passed away and we all made the decision then that we would submit what Mark had sent through.
“His number one pick was Dontbesillychilli, which at the time he put that name in she wasn’t that silly.
“He probably knew what was coming down the track because you find yourself saying that to her a bit.”
The #PacingForPink hoodoo for the @Voak_train (sp. @sheepfuller) is over with Make Your Mark getting the W, bringing up a quinella for trainer @SarahWall124…#TheTrotsWA | 📸: @_HamiltonCC pic.twitter.com/jd5iOl0SO4
— The Trots WA (@TheTrotsWA) July 11, 2021
In the case of Make Your Mark, Wall said letting her race on speed had been a big key in her spike in form over the past month.
Seeing the filly named after Mark and the filly he named running one-two at Gloucester Park last week was a reminder of not only the joy of having a winner, but a man who had such a big role in both their lives.
“Hearing Make Your Mark go over the line first was pretty special,” she said.
“We’ve only had one quinella before at Narrogin, so to do it at Gloucester Park we were really happy.
“His name is still in the ownership, which will be the estate once it’s all sorted.
“It’s something to hang on to.”
Both fillies will line up at Gloucester Park again this Friday.
Tim Walker
Image – Hamilton Content Creators