Smith’s Emotional Broome Cup Triumph
16 August, 2018
WA Country Cups
Wagin-based Angela Smith scaled her greatest heights as a trainer when she prepared Time Frame to win the 1997 Perth Cup.
The rogue galloper, ridden by Dennis Gundry, defied scorching heat to lead throughout and win by one length from Regimental Tattoo.
Smith, a former apprentice jockey in New Zealand, won nine races with Time Frame, who came out of the Fred Kersley stable.
Smith entered the record books as the fourth female trainer to win the Perth Cup and it rates as one of her greatest triumphs.
But running a very close second to Time Frame and arguably one of Smith’s most emotional victories came in Broome over a decade later.
After consecutive third placings in 2008 and 2009, Smith’s gelding, Viscount Cameron, charged home from near last to win the 2011 Broome Cup.
Smith shared Viscount Cameron’s barnstorming win with husband and devoted ally, Malcolm, an integral and vital member of her stable set up.
The popular husband and wife team are stout supporters of WA racing, regularly appearing with their horses at country and provincial tracks across the state.
But in 2011 their world was turned upside down when Malcolm, months out from the Broome season, was diagnosed with a life threatening illness.
“Malcolm suffered massive brain bleeding and was lucky to be alive,” said Smith.
“Doctors said if he had left it another day he would have been carried out in a box.
“He was starting to feel unwell at home and I sent him to the physio thinking he may have pulled a muscle or pinched a nerve, nothing more than that.
“The physio quickly identified something was far more seriously wrong and he was rushed straight to hospital.
“As you can appreciate everything from there just happened so quickly and it was really quite a stressful period.”
Amid personal turmoil Angela had no thoughts of racing in Broome that season. Her sole focus was dedicated to Malcom’s recovery.
But what she failed to take into consideration was her husband’s stubbornn and brave persistence.
“He was adamant that we send the horses to Broome as originally planned,” Smith said.
“He argued we had put too much work and effort in to let it pass us by.
“He was confident of making a full recovery and joining me in Broome later in the season.
“I had my doubts because it was a serious illness, but he proved me wrong.”
Smith said Malcolm’s fight and determination mirrored Viscount Cameron who returned from a year-long injury layoff to win the Broome Cup.
A spiritual woman, she said fate playing a major role in the gelding’s victory.
“At Time Frame’s Perth Cup victory presentation, Malcolm held the trophy aloft and belted out a song by Lee Kernaghan’s: The Boys From The Bush Are Back In Town,” said Smith.
“That exact same song blared out from the speakers when we were saddling Viscount Cameron before the Broome Cup.
“It was the first time we had heard the song in any shape or form since Malcom had sung it back at the Perth Cup.
“After all the trials and tribulations we had been through just a couple of months earlier, we felt winning the Broome Cup was just meant to be.”
The 2018 Broome Cup (2200m) will be staged on Saturday, August 18.
Julio Santarelli