Fahy ready to ‘rak’ up at Grand Prix

Rakauhauka harness racing owner Brendan Fahy is ready for a big day at the races on Sunday.

The Southland breeder and owner has four horses in the Grand Prix meeting at Addington. All are in Group One races and he’s as excited as a Southland farmer can get.

His two runners in the G1 Box Seat Ace Of Diamonds are Raklou (Sweet Lou) and Rakuruin (Sweet Lou).

Raknruin trained by Fahy’s neighbour Clark Barron, has been in solid form leading into Sunday’s fillies feature but has to content with a second row draw.

“Thing’s haven’t worked out for her at all. I said to Clark the other day that she’s the best she’s ever looked. I told him if we get in, we’ll go,” Fahy said.

Trained by Peter Hunter, Raklou is running back into form after being the best of the early season two year old fillies. She didn’t have too much luck last week against a similar field.

“Pete said she had a good blow after the race and he’s very pleased with her but from the draw she’s got a few in front of her.”

Franco Sinatra (Captaintreacherous) takes his place for Fahy and his son Nigel in the G1 Garrards New Zealand Pacing Derby. He draws four on the second row in a hot field and follows out Merlin, one of the favourites.

“He’s a pretty good horse but when you’ve got Merlin and Don’t Stop Dreaming, he’s probably not at their level yet. He ran 3-09 at Addington in the winter so he’s not a mile away from them. Cran (Dalgety – trainer) thinks he’ll get better with age.”

Perhaps Fahy’s best chance is boom Southland trained colt Dreams Are Free (Captaintreacherous) which will race in the G1 Betavet Ace Of Spades.

“I’m very excited about him. When I saw him going around the workouts and (with) what Nathan has said to me, I think he could potentially be the best horse I’ve ever had.”

Trained by Nathan Williamson the two year old colt has impressed in the south, racing against older horses, and this will be the first time he faces his own age group.

“He’s adaptable. You only get one shot at these sorts of races. He’s drawn really nicely, and we’ll just have to see what transpires. I wouldn’t be scared to lead if the opportunity presents. Obviously with Mark and Nathan Purdon having two runners in the race it could make it tactically difficult,” Williamson said.

Fahy purchased Dreams Are Free for $60,000 at the 2022 NZ Standardbred Yearling Sale in Christchurch.

“I’d missed out on four or five before he came up, including one out of Spanish Armada (the lot before Dreams Are Free that sold for $120,000). I was only going to go to $40,000 but ended up going to $70,000. Then Dreams Are Free came in and I hadn’t even looked at him because I thought he’d go for $200,000. He started at $20,000 and I was sitting beside Nathan and asked him if he’d looked at him before the sale. He said he had, and we couldn’t see anything wrong with him, so we bought him.”

At the time Fahy looked at another Captaintreacherous colt offered by the same vendor, Brian West of Studholme Bloodstock.

“We went down to see Dreams Are Free after the sale and the colt opposite was passed in. Anyway, when we got home Nathan rang Brian up about this other horse and was told by Brian that he wanted $40,000 for him. I looked up the mare’s breeding and she’d been to Bettor’s Delight a few times and hadn’t left much. We decided to leave him, and that horse was Chase The Dream (laughter).”

Dreams Are Free is raced by Fahy in partnership with the Dreams Are Free Syndicate which consists of a group of southern mates including first time owners Jimmy Sinclair and Adam Ronald.

“They put in money each week and one of the syndicate would have a bet on the races or league. They got in a few bob and thought they’d fly over the see the State Of Origin, but they couldn’t because of Covid. Then they thought they’d go and see the Warriors play. They booked the hotel and that was called off. After that they decided to get a horse so that’s how it all started.”

Fahy who’s been to a stack of big race meetings all over the world is excited about Sunday’s meeting and says the Syndicate is too.

“They’re jumping round like cats on hot bricks and some of them can’t sleep properly.”

This will be only the second time Fahy has been on-course to see Dreams Are Free race, having been been away touring in America and attending a family wedding in Australia on the other occasions.

“We went to a pub in Aussie to see his race at Invercargill. They showed the three races before and when his race was to come on they wiped his race and took an Australian race. So we watched it on my son’s phone, saw him gallop at the start and thought that’s the end. At the half mile his phone froze and he was seven to eight lengths behind then, and I said he’s probably been pulled him up. It froze until just past the winning post and we saw the shot from the camera behind and thought he was in the hunt. Then we heard the announcer say, what a performance from him.”

Fahy is a fan of the stock of Captaintreacherous after receiving some intel from America a number of years ago, and has since sent a number of his broodmares to the Somebeachsomewhere stallion.

“I remember when I had horses with John McCarthy whose boys were driving in America. I asked him to ask them about the Captaintreacherous’s. They said they were like the best Somebeachsomewhere’s. They’ve just got that bit extra.”

Understandably offers have been rolling in for Dreams Are Free but the group is standing firm on keeping him.

“Nathan rang me up one day and said the phone had been running red hot. We had a bit of a yarn and decided that he’s not for sale.”

Fahy said Williamson took Dreams Are Free to the Young Quinn Raceway on Tuesday for a private hit out.

“He looked terrific.”

The southern region is well represented at Sunday’s premier meeting and Fahy said it reminds him of the days when trainers like Henry Skinner and Alan Devery regularly ventured north.

‘It’s great to see all the southern horses at Addington. Everyone will be at the peak of their fitness, and they’ve all got the same aim. It’s not going to be easy.”

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink