Callmethebreeze Hunter Cup Win 2024 Photo by Stuart McCormick
IT was a fairytale start to the 2024 Trotting Masters series.
Many say last Saturday night's $300,000 Group 1 Great Southern Star final was one of the best races Aussie Harness has seen in many years.
And the contrast in the two "players" added another layer.
As hard as the Aussie champ Just Believe tried and as brave as he was, the French-bred European import Callmebreeze had his measure.
It took a horse from the other side of the world to dethrone "our" champ in Australia's biggest trotting race.
Excitingly, it has set the scene for a string of rematches, starting with the next two legs of the Trotting Masters – the $75,000 Group 1 Australian Trotting Grand Prix at Melton on February 29 and the $100,000 Group 1 Hammerhead Mile at Club Menangle on March 9.
But let's get back to the wonderful story behind Callmethebreeze.
The stallion, who technically doesn't turn six until May, was having just his second Australian start when he blasted around Melton in a 1min53.2sec mile rate for 1720m to win his Great Southern Star heat by what seemed half the straight.
It was quite a statement.
Just Believe was his usually dominant and arrogant self on his way to an easy, albeit much slower, win in the second heat.
The battle lines were drawn as we sweated on the barrier draw.
With only barriers six and seven remaining on the front and Callmethebreeze and Just Believe still to come, driver Nathan Jack stunned many by opting to take barrier 10 (three out on the back row) with Callmethebreeze. Just Believe ended up with gate seven.
It proved an inspired move with Jack not being part of the early burn and saving petrol while Just Believe worked forward out wide and was eventually left to sit parked outside the leader.
"I couldn't let him (Greg Sugars on Just Believe) dictate the race and turn it into a dash home, so I got going on my fella early to make it a staying test," Jack said.
"When Greg went for Just Believe on the home bend and didn't kick away on me, I thought I had a big chance of running him down."
"I actually thought I was going to beat him quite easily, but he's such a great horse he just kept coming back at me."
"It's one of the best and most satisfying wins of my career when you consider all the factors of the race."
Although Jack was justifiably lauded for his tactically brilliant drive, he directed the praise to trainer Anton Golino.
"What about the trainer? What a great horseman he is. To make the changes he did after one run and win a race like this, beating a champion like Just Believe. That's something special," he said.
