News

Perpetual Crisis' fighting spirit

28th Jan 2017

Brian McKnight of Oakford Thoroughbred Farm – where today’s Inglis Dash winner Perpetual Crisis was raised – tells the galloper’s story better than anyone.

So, allow him.

“It’s a phenomenal story of this horse. He was born four to five weeks prem, he came out a July foal, and he was very, very lucky to survive those first couple of weeks,’’ McKnight says.

“Somehow, he got through it and survived, he fought all the way when some of us thought he might not make it, but he did, just exactly like he did in that race today, he fought til the end when plenty thought he was going to get run down.

“We raised him and looked after him on the farm until the yearling sale and after surviving that big scare at the start of his life, he really did become the King of the Kids on the farm.

“He’s such a great fellow. We all love him.’’

And then there’s the story of Perpetual Crisis’ mother, Leica Gossip.

“Ray Campling and Helen Brindle, who own the mare, they bought her to race but once they got her they took her to the vet and were told she was blind in one eye and therefore never raced,’’ McKnight continued.

“So they sent her to Stryker [at Three Bridges] and this fellow [Perpetual Crisis] was born, and then they sent her to Lucas Cranach and we’re taking that half-brother to the Inglis Vobis Gold Sale this year too.’’

Knowing all this now, it comes as no surprise that Perpetual Crisis (Stryker x Leica Gossip) fought off a bevy of challengers in the final 200m of today’s $250,000 Inglis Dash at Flemington to earn the biggest pay cheque of his career.

His trainer Darren Weir paid just $20,000 for him at the 2015 Inglis Vobis Gold Sale from the Oakford Thoroughbred draft.

Today’s win took his earning to over $200,000.

Oakford has a six-strong draft coming to next month’s Inglis Premier Yearling Sale at Oaklands from February 26 – March 1.

On top of his share of the prizemoney today, Weir also earned himself a pair of SwarovskiOptik binoculars as the winning trainer of an Inglis Race Series event.

All yearlings sold or passed in at an Inglis Yearling Sale are eligible for nomination to the lucrative $5million Inglis Race Series. For information, visit inglis.com.au/races.

Upcoming races in the Inglis Race Series include:

$250,000 Inglis Premier – Premier nominated 2YOs – Caulfield, VIC, 1200m – Saturday February 4

$250,000 Inglis Classic – Classic nominated 2YOs – Randwick, NSW, 1200m – Saturday February 11