Time called on a champion: Act Now retires

Time has been called on the career of Victorian harness racing star Act Now (Somebeachsomewhere).

A winner of 22 races from 55 starts, and with $910,885 in the bank, the multiple group 1 winning stallion will commence stud duties at Durham Park, the Ballarat stud operation of his owners Bruce and Vicki Edward.

Act Now, known as “Claude”, was a “once in a lifetime horse” for connections, a Tatlow, two Breeders Crown titles, a Victorian Derby, Catanach Jewellers 4 and 5yo championship, a Maryborough Gold Cup and a Victoria Cup.

Victorian reinswoman Jodi Quinlan partnered Act Now in all but one of his victories (at his first win as a two-year-old he was driven by Kima Frenning), and she said he was a special horse.

“He was a great horse to me – he was the ultimate racehorse when he was at his best,” Quinlan said.

“He had explosive gate speed, especially as a young horse, and I could always put him into the race because of that.  And he had stamina, he could stick – he was just a very good horse.  Sokyola is always my pinnacle horse, but Act Now would definitely be my next,” she said.

Act Now, trained throughout his career by Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin, had two runner-up performances as a two-year-old (behind stablemates Tough Tilly and Platinum Sparkle) before recording his first win in impressive fashion at Bendigo.

From there, Act Now won seven of his next 10 starts.  From September of his 3yo season (2021) he put together a string of six successive victories, culminating in the Group 1 Breeders’ Crown title, defeating Yambukian, Bettor Call Me and Rock N Roll Doo.

The majority of Act Now’s victories were posted when he was able to use his blistering gate speed from the gate, and lead throughout – but Quinlan says his 2023 victory in the 2023 Victoria Cup, a Grand Circuit event, was undoubtedly his best.

“That win was unbelievable – just in the race itself he was in a hopeless position to win, from barrier 11 and settling out the back, but what had happened beforehand just showed the calibre of the horse,” Quinlan said.

“He went off in the stalls and got hung up in the stalls before the race and cut his leg.  We really didn’t think he would run, but Clayton (Tonkin) said we wouldn’t scratch him, we’d wait and see how he warmed up,” she said.

“Clayton hosed him and walked him and did everything he could to get him there over the next couple of hours, and the vet passed him fit to run.

“What he came out and did that night, I just couldn’t believe.  He was just so tough.”

Watch Act Now’s sensational Victoria Cup win here: 

Quinlan said she looked forward to seeing what Act Now can do in the breeding barn.

“He’s got the makings of a stallion prospect – he is beautifully bred and he had a great constitution, he was sound until he retired, he was tough and fast – all the attributes you want in a stallion.”

From Terry Gange for Harnesslink