Above: A beaming Pat Trotter was tickled pink after Cyclone Sarah had a well deserved victory at Pakenham last Thursday.
By David Nagel
Former jockey, Pat Trotter, is no stranger to the winners’ circle and that continued last Thursday when he trained Cyclone Sarah to win the $12,000 AUSPT Handicap (1300m) at Pakenham on Gazette Oaks Day.
In front of a well oiled crowd, four of the seven races were won by Cranbourne trained horses which continued a remarkable run for horses trained at the track.
The five year old mare broke the hearts of local racing fans by running home over the top of the Pakenham trained Jeune De Coeur to win the fourth race on the card.
Trotter has a long and proud history in horse racing and has been closely associated with some of the most famous names in the sport. He rode in six Melbourne Cups between 1973 and 1978 and came within a length of winning the 1977 Cup when he ran second aboard crowd favourite Reckless.
Reckless was trained by Tommy Woodcock who was strapper for the legendary Phar Lap-and at the start of 1977 the duo built a cult following as they travelled around the nation. Reckless won the Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide Cups that year with Trotter in the saddle and he remembers those days with great affinity.
“They were exciting times, it was an absolute pleasure to be associated with a horse like that,” the affable Trotter said.
“To jump on a plane and know you’re going to be riding a horse with a big chance in big races is what it’s all about.
“Tommy was a reluctant hero at the start, he was a bit shy, but he got used to it after a while and towards the end he loved all the attention.
“He was a very lucky man to be associated with two great horses.”
Trotter rode big race winners all over Australia and New Zealand. He won a Caulfield Cup on Analight, the George Adams Handicap (now Emirates Stakes) on Maybe Mahal, the Newmarket Handicap on Coolalinga and a West Australian Derby on Seltrice… just to name a few.
Trotter says all the big race wins don’t stack up when compared to his association with Reckless.
“Riding Reckless was definitely the highlight of my career; he was the best stayer by far,” he said.
Cyclone Sarah’s win at Pakenham might not be a career highlight for Trotter but he was beaming after his mare won her third race from 27 starts. He was full of praise for both his horse and jockey, Daniel Moor, who made it a race to race double after earlier scoring aboard the Robert Smerdon trained Zeeyajimi.
“She’s an honest little thing, she just doesn’t give up, she tries her heart out every time,” Trotter said.
“The race panned out beautifully, she needs to get back in her races, get a smother, and then work home strongly, and Daniel rode her treat.
“We were pretty confident coming here today; she’s been doing everything right, so yeah, we’re very happy.”
