Almanac Horseracing: Irish charm captures Warrnambool hearts
Having written two earlier columns (7 May 2020 and 9 May 2022) on Warrnambool’s Grand Annual Steeplechase, I hadn’t originally intended bothering the kindly Almanac editors about a third version on last week’s 172nd running of the event.
You know, the critics come after you after a while. Oh yeah, RDL? A nice enough bloke but a one trick pony – so to speak.
But over the weekend, I kept recalling one of those rare spontaneous heart-warming experiences in sport where Irish jockey Chris McCarthy greeted the wildly excited crowd after riding last week’s Grand Annual winner Rockstar Ronnie.
Amid the din of the boisterous throng around the mounting yard after the race, Andrew Eddy from racing.com tells the story like this…
“…some of the horse’s connections then scooped him up and put him on their shoulders as they marched through the packed mounting yard. The crowd was warming to this guy. And then he spoke.
‘I don’t have the education to put it into words’ he said before neatly putting the experience into words. ‘I am only a three kilo claimer and they had the owners behind them as well and they probably wanted someone better but they stuck their neck out and I’m glad we could repay them.’” (Andrew Eddy, racing.com)
Yep, a newcomer to our shores from County Cork on a moderate outsider of the eight horse field at $7 with the highly fancied favourite Stern Idol (who failed to finish) at even money or thereabouts.
But Rockstar Ronnie had obviously not seen the tote odds as he bounced to the front and held a lead of between two and five lengths the whole way from start to finish over 5500 metres and 33 fences.
In its only type of race in Australia, the horses in the Grand Annual run both clockwise and anticlockwise leaving the course proper to run over two adjoining paddocks – Brierly Paddock and Granter’s paddock – before finishing at the judge’s box second time around.
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The photo above is the Alfred Road jump where they leave the course proper out of shot to the right of screen. The three fences up the hill in Brierly Paddock can be seen in the background.
Last week, even those punters (including yours truly) whose horses had dropped away from the leaders started to barrack for the dashing tearaway leader as it became clear all he had to do was jump the remaining fences.
Having seen every Grand Annual since 1977, your author rates this one as the boldest start to finish “catch me if you can” race since that game mare Venite’s win in 1983 completing her Grand Annual win with the rare double of a Great Eastern Steeplechase win at Oakbank.
Of course, each Grand Annual has a story of its own.
In 2011 the John Wheeler trained Banna Strand had lost its rider at an earlier fence but continued to race with the field riderless and still found the energy to leap an improbably high boundary fence out of the course altogether. Fortunately, there were only minor injuries to both horse and onlookers.
Two years later as it won the 2013 race, the course commentator poignantly called “and the villain becomes hero as Banna Strand wins the Annual!”
In other years, many riderless horses turn left after the tricky Tozer Road double the second time around having done so the first time. Those horses still in the contest will fight their riders and follow their instincts wanting to play follow the leader and head left. Their jockeys on the other hand desperately want them to turn right the second time and save many lengths in what is usually a deciding corner for many Grand Annual finishes.
Outside such specific race related memories, your author fondly recalls the marvellous experience in 2001 of a once in a lifetime opportunity offered by a local pony club to join an early morning fund raiser. For a very modest fee (including an obligatory snag in bread with sauce and a coffee) on a bright and very early morning during race week, participants were escorted to walk around the Grand Annual course on our allocated horses.
Sadly, it seems risk averse pony club lawyers and global insurance profiteer robber barons have stopped all manner of fun like this. Yeah well righto, there is a bit of the conspiracy theory Marxist in us all I guess.
But I digress.
Anyway, back then the pony club had engaged four time Grand Annual winning jockey Brett Scott to escort about eight or nine of us around the course explaining what riders would be thinking at strategic points of the race. That first-hand experience of being so intimately close to the Warrnambool track will never leave me.
For instance, when we stopped at the double at the top of Cox’s Hill I recall thinking the distant WRC grandstand looked like it was almost in South Australia.
At various points of the escorted tour while walking around the course, our hosts encouraged riders to take our horses for a trot or a canter if and whenever we felt comfortable enough to do so.
Now, a fully seated position on a trotting horse for any length of time will give any nervous male rider at least some concern about his future reproductivity capacity. Consequently, I was happy to allow my sweet natured equine escort to canter calmly for about 50 metres while all my limited riding instincts from previous much younger years fortunately clicked into play.
I later allowed myself a gentle smile as I realised I could subsequently claim bragging rights having galloped a horse (however gently) around the Grand Annual track – well at least, those outside bits we were allowed on.
But last week, the good folk of County Cork would have hailed one of their favourite sons – now semi permanently in Australia – who rode Rockstar Ronnie in such dashing style up the middle of that same track to win the hearts of all of us on course lucky enough to witness his judgment and courage.
(Not strictly part of last week’s story but the above photo of the majestic Cliffs of Moher just south of Galway provides a fitting full stop to this yarn with an Irish flavour).
Read more from Roger Lowrey Here.
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About Roger Lowrey
Roger Lowrey is a Geelong based writer who lists his special interests as reading, writing, horse racing, Roman history and AEC electoral boundaries. Some of his friends think he is a little eccentric.

Eloquent, RDL. I attended Oakbank in 1975 on a miserable wet day and won just enough to finance dinner at the pub that night. Revenue neutral, I think they call it, and an entertaining day out to boot!
Outstanding Roger.
In 1987 I crawled to the edge of the Cliff’s of Moher to peak over and get a true idea of the fall, whilst some drunken Irish bastard fellow traveller held onto my ankles. Hardly occupational health and safety but, hey, I was only 23. What a lark! A most beautiful part of the world.
Never been to the Bool. Never been to the Royal Melbourne Show either. The former is on my list. The latter isn’t.
A wonderful yarn as always, RDL.
Thanks
Grand story and imagery. As a reformed puntdrunk the only thing I miss about racing is the colour, drama and emotion of a big day at the track. Wish I could join you, but “if you sit in a barber’s chair long enough, you’re going to get a haircut”.
Thanks for letting me experience it at a safe distance.
RDL- enjoyed your meanderings across track, paddock and time. The fiftieth anniversary approaches! Well played.
Thanks everyone for your kind comments.
Specifically, I’ve been to a number of Great Eastern Steeples Ian but, sadly, I won’t be going to any more now they have discontinued jumps racing for their own reasons. Predictably, the attendance figures have plummeted as a consequence so obviously I’m not the only one with this view.
Dips, any time you wish to toddle along to the ‘Bool you are welcome to my members’ guest pass. As I was struggling for another photo with some relevance to the narrative to finish the column, I did admittedly go a bit wide with that great shot of the Cliffs of Moher we took four years ago. Unlike you though comrade, I didn’t attempt any high spirited hi jinx but just kept picking my jaw up from the ground as I admired that stunning view.
Thanks Smokester, been to any more Pako eateries with Mrs Smokey lately? New ones seem to open up almost weekly so it’s a bit of a job keeping up with them.
Peter, only too glad to provide an opportunity for vicarious enjoyment of highlights of the track. Last Thursday’s post race vibe loses a lot in my rather mundane narrative. But Jeez, it was bloody electric just standing in that upbeat crowd around the mounting yard taking it all in through the pores of my skin. Chris McCarthy’s highly emotional acceptance speech in his thick Cork accent held the crowd spellbound.
Mickey, glad you liked it. Fifty years? Where did all that time go for a fresh faced 24 year old first year out English teacher in the bush? I suppose I should be grateful I avoided a fate like John Grant’s in “Wake In Fright” (I actually taught that to a Year 11 group while I was in W’bool) but the point of the question still remains. Another four years to go though so I, like that old footy coach’s maxim, I had better just take it one year at a time.
RDL