There's been a lot of moisture out Tullibigeal way since the drought broke - and even more came down when a horse won for its late owner there at the picnic races last Saturday.
"Sam" Glasgow was a legend in town and sadly died a few years ago. He always wanted to win the Tullibigeal Cup.
His mate and racehorse co-owner Bernie Kearins, also well known in the area as West Wyalong's Hats at Pats owner, planned a Cup strategy to give Sam a reason to smile up in the big sky.
The problem was their horse Caszar, a nine-year-old, had just about given up the racing caper, having won just four times in its career but amassing $120,000 in prize money. And Bernie is not one to throw horses into picnic races, because he doesn't like the big weights they often carry.
To make the tilt at the Tullibigeal Cup even more amazing was that a young 23-year-old amateur rider, Emily Waters, was engaged to ride Caszar. Just a few races before on the card at Tullibigeal she'd won only her first race as an amateur jockey - importantly riding for her trainer dad, Mont Waters, from the well-known Waters racing clan in southern NSW.
Bernie says Caszar was a very competitive horse in his career - running nine seconds to city class horses and setting an unofficial track record at Dubbo. But at age nine, his legs were a bit dodgy and Bernie and trainer Barry Molloy, from Forbes, decided to try him in an easier class at the picnics, with their long-term goal the Tullibigeal cup.
It was a plan they hoped would honour the memory of Johnny "Sam" Glasgow, one of the founders of Tullibigeal Picnic races.
"Johnny was a great guy, one of the best," Bernie says. There was a strong racing connection as Bernie and Sam owned Caszar's mother, Casscede Bay. (Caszar is by Zariz)
But getting the win was no certainty. Emily Waters was told by 85-year-old Barry to take a sit on Caszar out of the barriers. But half way down the back straight Caszar had a mind of his own and took off, heading around the whole field into the lead.
"We thought he might have blown his chances," Bernie says. But he stuck on like a lion, his head and ears down, refusing to be headed, with Emily scoring an amazing win - just her second race win.
There were jubilant cries of onlookers, after Caszar dug deep to win by just under half a length from the favourite carrying a whopping 67 kilograms.
Tullibigeal president Craig Tyack said there wasn't a dry eye in the whole of the mounting yard. Fittingly, Sam's son and daughter were there to see Caszar's win. Bernie had already decided it would be the gelding's last race. The club had a big day, with 1500 people attending. Emily broke new ground - the first Waters in three generations of riders to win a race!
After the Cup win a few men asked if they could buy the old Caszar. "No way," his strapper Catherine Newcombe said, who is very fond of Caszar. He will make a fine dressage horse Bernie says. He went out a winner for Sam and that was it, and all that was needed to finish his racing career.
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John Ellicott
journalist and author
journalist and author
