Tales Of Epsilon banks memorable win

By Tony McMahon

Gracemere owner-trainer Lyn Sullivan was on ‘cloud nine’ yesterday afternoon after Tales Of Epsilon, the last horse her late husband Dick purchased won at Emerald’s TAB race meeting.

“I can tell you it was a very special win,” Lyn said not long after her dream came true.

“My old knees were shaking when Tales (Tales Of Epsilon) went past the post first. Yes, it was very special win.”

Ridden by emerging South African jockey, Mackay’s Girish Goomany, Tales Of Epsilon ($2.05 fav) scored by 0.8 lengths from Espereus ridden by Natalea Summers.

Lyn and Dick Sullivan attended the Ready To Run Gold Coast Magic Millions Sale in 2018 with the intention of buying a ready-made winner to race together.

They came away with the Real Saga youngster Tales Of Epsilon.

Late last year Dick Sullivan, a respected Gracemere businessman and racing stalwart passed away from a heart attack.

Lyn vowed that she would continue to race and train Tales of Epsilon as a legacy to Dick.

After a number of promising albeit unplaced runs in recent months, Lyn finally had Tales Of Epsilon placed to advantage in an Emerald TAB QTIS Maiden (1300m) on Saturday, May 22.

As fate decreed rain prevented the meeting from going ahead but instead it was rescheduled for yesterday.

If anything, the new race field for the race was stronger than the original Tales Of Epsilon would have faced on May 22.

In the end however, it mattered little as Tales Of Epsilon in Dick’s colours of green and white with a quartered tangerine cap forged to the front over the final stages and broke away to win.

“He moved up from midfield before the corner and I was just hoping he would keep going and he did,” Lyn said.

“The jockey took quite awhile to pull him up after the race and came back and told me he was a strong horse.”

For certain Tales Of Epsilon is a special horse as under Wally Welburn he trotted down the Callaghan Park straight behind Dick Sullivan’s funeral cortege last year.

After yesterday’s race Lyn’s phone was ringing hot from well wishers realising just what it meant to win the humble Emerald Maiden.

How ironic really as Emerald is associated with the colour green which was carried to numerous victories by the gallopers that Lyn and Dick raced over many decades in Central Queensland.

For Lyn Sullivan the grass has never been so green as it was at Emerald’s turf track yesterday.