News

Any Humour has last laugh in EW Barker Trophy

7th Nov 2010

*Singapore Turf Club - Michael Lee - Sunday, November 07, 2010

The EW Barker Trophy lived up to its wide-open race billing with a thrilling finish that saw forgotten giant Any Humour sneak up on the rails to bag his second Group success in the smart time of 1min 22.04secs for the 1400m trip on the Short Course.

The Danewin seven-year-old, a hulking chestnut who normally weighs in upwards of 550kg, has been beset by sensitive hooves throughout his career, but did show vast potential earlier on when he bagged the Group 3 Chairman’s Trophy in March 2009, incidentally then handing trainer Michael Freedman his first win at Group level.

More feature trophies have since filled out Freedman’s cabinet, especially in the last three months which saw the third-year trainer snare the Group 3 Committee’s Prize and the Paititi Gold Trophy with Always Certain and Ntini, not to mention mini features like the Carlsberg Gold Championship and last weekend’s Mandai Classic Stakes with Gold Cup contender Zac Missile.

But Any Humour has since slipped under the radar, passing unnoticed in the 2009 Singapore Triple Crown Series and showing precious little in six starts at his return this campaign, other than a close second to Thundering Jet in the very same race he won in 2009, the Chairman’s Trophy over 1800m.

While pundits had tagged this year’s renewal of the EW Barker Trophy, a $350,000 Group 2 event run over 1400m as any horse’s race, most had picked out those with recent form from the 14-horse field (following Doraemon’s scratching), especially those weighted at the minimum 50kg riding weight in the handicap race, namely three-time winner Flying West who was sent out the favourite at $20, Lamborghini Flame ($28), Merchant ($48) and Villain ($85).

Any Humour, who carried 55kg, was rather friendless at $94, not helped by the fact he was drawn one inside the outermost alley in barrier No 13. But the application of blinkers combined with a gem of a ride by in-form Australian jockey John Powell paved the way for a most unheralded win, three-quarter length ahead of another outsider in Lim's Fighter (Soo Khoon Beng), but one Freedman was absolutely over the moon with.

“This horse is one of my favourites and holds a special place in my heart,” said Freedman.

“I won my first Group race with him and he’s been up here for a while now.

“Yes, he’s been a bit out of sorts, but the blinkers seem to have rejuvenated him.

“Full credit to Johnny who’s riding in fabulous form at the moment. He’s a top rider and gave my bloke a 10-out-of-10 ride.

“Though he ended up in a rearward position, further back than we had wanted, he didn’t panic and took all the shortcuts home.

“When I rang him for the ride, he said he had no commitment for the Barker, and I told him to ride Any Humour with blinkers in a trial first.

“I was at the Gold Coast then and didn’t see the trial, but he rang me and told me he ran terrific.”

Freedman said he had been tossing up the idea of keeping Any Humour at home versus a trip across the Causeway.

“I was actually considering sending him to the Malaysian feature races around Christmas time,” said Freedman.

“But after discussing with the owners, we thought we’d rather not take him out of here. I will now give him a let-up and space his races.

“Next year’s Chairman’s Trophy could be a race he’ll have another go at, as long as his feet hold up.

“He goes every day in the new water spa equipment I have at the stable, and he seems to really enjoy it.

“For now we’ll enjoy today’s win. There are a big bunch of owners back home who I am sure will be jumping for joy now!”

Powell said the fact he was able to drop back on the fence after jumping from a wide gate helped in no small measure.

“The plan was to go forward but after he missed the start a fraction, I decided to drop back and put him on the fence,” said Powell, who was at his second 2010 Group win following Super Gold in the Group 3 Moonbeam Vase in March.

“I thought since he was at such big odds, I had nothing to lose by saving as much ground as I could.

“Sometimes, these tactics work, sometimes, they don’t. Today, they did, especially before the home turn when the horses peeled out wide and I got a nice suck-up on the fence.

“I didn’t have to do much, and suddenly I was right behind Ntini and just had to wait for the gaps.

“There wasn’t much room for me to go when one opened up but I went for it, and he dashed clear. I could see Johnny’s (Meagher) horse (Lim’s Fighter) coming from the corner of my eye, but I got home first.”

Flying West (Mark Gallagher) settled in the ruck as well, but never fired in the home straight to finish eighth, more than four lengths behind.

Any Humour, who is raced by the Mummify Stable, has now returned earnings in excess of $600,000 from a total tally of four wins, seven placings from 18 starts.

Photo by Singapore Turf Club

Any Humour ($20,000 2005 Classic, 7g Danewin-Damasta)

Note: Emirates Park Stud will offer a half sister to Any Humour by Old Deuteronomy at the 2011 Inglis Melbourne Autumn Yearling Sale