Tony a top tipster
Trainer Tony McEvoy offered punters an early Christmas present when, pre-race, he told a worldwide audience that My Boy Birmingham was capable of winning the Hyland Race Colours Handicap (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday, December 16.
Interviewed on Racing.Com, McEvoy said My Boy Birmingham was presented to win, and his only concern was the gelding’s weight of 63.5kg after a 3kg claim by apprentice rider Tatum Bull.
Having his first run in nine months, and only his second in 15 months, the six-year-old, trained by McEvoy and his co-trainer, son, Calvin, jumped well from an outside gate and slowly worked across over the first 400 metres before finding the front with 1000 metres to run.
Bull rated the gelding perfectly, kicked away turning for home establishing a race-winning break.
Starting at the lucrative odds of $31, My Boy Birmingham held on to win by a long neck from Bel Air ($4.80) with Tasman Park ($5), 1-1/2 lengths away third.
Reports are that the 63.5kg was the biggest weight carried to victory in Melbourne for the past 15 years.
In September, First Immortal carried 63kg as did Ashlor in 2018.
Trainer Tony McEvoy was quick to praise the winner’s strapper Sandra Morphett.
“Sandra is a star at our stable, and with her husband Matt, they do a lot of great work for us,” McEvoy said.
“He is very difficult this big horse, he’s big, he’s powerful, he’s rude and Sandra loves him and puts up with him, with the knocks and the hits.
“I think he might have broken her glasses out in the paddock before the race.
“She just puts up with him, and she got very emotional when he was able to win a race in town.”
“I said to Tatum pre-race that he is not a normal horse, and has a high cruising speed, go on with him and don’t try to fight him.
“She did a great job, rated him well.
“I was a little nervous with the work he did early, first up after a long break but he ground it out.
“I was very proud of him today.”
Winning jockey Tatum Bull agreed with McEvoy that My Boy Birmingham was not a normal horse.
“He gets up and about and probably uses too much energy in the mounting yard,” Bull said.
“In a race, although he does have a high cruising speed, he does relax.
“He basically did it all for me today with that weight on his back.
“It’s crazy, I have never known horses to do that, especially in town.
“It was a good training effort by Tony and Cal.
“He is a bit of an awkward horse to ride out because he is so big, so when you change your grip, your hands are still behind his wither.
“He came back mid stages, relaxed nicely, then gave me a good kick and it was a massive effort.”