Last weekend’s Barastoc Horse of the Year saw a stellar line-up of retired racehorses show off their new skills in the Off The Track classes.
One of the feature show horse events in Australia each year, Barastoc attracts the state’s premier horses and riders and is traditionally a happy hunting ground for thoroughbreds.
Several former stars of the track were in attendance, including the former Bart Cummings-trained galloper Precedence and 2017 Off The Track National Show Horse Champion Stage Presence, who raced as Persistency and is a three-quarter brother in blood to Reward For Effort.
However, it was 2017 Garryowen winner SLM Mercedes who stole the show with rider Catherine Neill. Racing as Crosswind for John Symons and Guy Walter, the 13-year-old gelding was sired by the famous stallion Zabeel. Darcy, as he is now known, had three starts during his career on the track, but failed to win any.
Neill is thrilled with the progress the pair have made over the last 18 months, and cannot speak highly enough of her special horse.
“I guess when you have the right partner anything can be achieved,” Neill said.
“I’m still waiting to wake up from this dream, and he is my ultimate dream horse. We have achieved so much in just over 18 months, including finishing runner-up in the Grand National Large Hack of the Year in Sydney last April, and of course winning the Garryowen.”
An advocate of retired racehorses, Neill is also a fan of the famous stallion Zabeel and the performance of his progeny in the show ring.
“I have always loved the Zabeel bloodline, and Darcy fits the mould to a tee,” she added.
“He is big, beautiful, strong and kind of quirky.
“Ex-racehorses really do make beautiful show horses. They are elegant, athletic and are perfect for the show ring. I love training them off the track. They are switched on, smart, and most of the time, eager to learn.”