Making it Far Too Easy

By Glenn Davis

A former jockey, Murwillumbah trainer David McColm took on the training caper in 1986 but his career and life were threatened following a serious health scare in 2010. 

“I had a bleed on the brain and had to give training away for a couple of years,” he said. 

There were times, following the brain bleed, that McColm feared he would never train again, starting just one galloper between 2009 and 2020. 

McColm was originally based at Beaudesert before he packed up and left following a marriage break-up and bought a five-acre property not far from the Murwillumbah race track. 

The property had no stables or facilities but all that changed courtesy of his former star sprinter Spirit Of Oregon, a 10-time winner who earned more than $210,000 in prize money.  

McColm has since built numerous boxes and a swimming pool and now has 16 horses in work. 

“It’s taken a long time but I was fortunate Spirit Of Oregon helped buy the property,” McColm said. 

McColm owns Far Too Easy with wife Judith and the Wardlaws—Mary and Donald—who also raced Spirit Of Oregon until his retirement in 1999. 

Developing the complex was an ongoing process but thanks to his former top sprinter Spirit Of Oregon and now Far Too Easy, McColm has reinvented himself. 

Far Too Easy was a $45,000 steal at the Magic Millions sales when McColm went to the yearling sales with a $70,000 budget. 

McColm has ridden the highs and lows with Far Too Easy who, at time of writing, had a 50 per cent winning strike rate with seven wins from 14 starts. 

A son of All Too Hard, Far Too Easy was bred by Gerry Harvey’s Baramul Stud and is a full brother to Singapore Stakes winner Hard Too Think.

He became the third winner from Mnemonic, an unraced Hussonet (USA) mare from the family of Group 1 sprinter Jetball, when he won his maiden on debut at Grafton in June 2021. 

McColm took an instant liking to Far Too Easy when he first spotted him at the Magic Millions sales. 

“I’m not sure why he went for $45,000. The only thing I can think of was he was a bit on the small side but he was still very athletic,” McColm said. 

“I loved his eyes. Whenever I buy a horse I look at their eyes. 

“He had a great conformation and good legs and I think it was just his size that turned others off him. But I always thought he’d grow, and he has with time.” 

Far Too Easy showed early in his career he had a bright future, winning his first two starts at Grafton in the winter of 2021. 

The win inspired McColm to head to the big smoke in Brisbane where Far Too Easy finished a brave fourth over 1200m at Doomben in August that year. 

“Because of COVID, I couldn’t travel up with the horse and missed the race when he blundered at the start and missed the kick badly,” he said. 

“But it was still a brilliant run that day.” 

Far Too Easy then had an easy win in a Benchmark race at his next start at the Gold Coast before heading into the Winning Rupert Plate at the Gold Coast. 

He passed his first serious test with flying colours in the Winning Rupert Plate, convincing connections to have a crack at the $2 million Magic Million Guineas in January last year. 

The Winning Rupert Plate triumph was an emotional victory, coming just a few days after the death of jockey Chris Caserta who tragically drowned on the Gold Coast. 

Caserta had played a big part in Far Too Easy’s development. 

“Chris was one of the first to identify his ability early on and won on him at his first two starts,” McColm said. 

“He raved about him in those early days even before he had his first start. 

“It’s a tragedy he’s no longer here and it was a very emotional time.” 

Far Too Easy then stepped up to the plate at his final outing before the Magic Millions, finishing a brave second to the Toby and Trent Edmonds-trained Me Me Lagarde in the Listed Gold Edition Plate at the Gold Coast. 

When the big dance arrived Far Too Easy produced a brilliant finish, landing in fourth spot behind King Of Sparta in the Magic Millions Guineas. 

“He had every chance in the Good Edition but it was a hard track that day and he jarred up,” McColm said. 

“He had to have a month off before the Magic Millions and he had no luck in it from a wide draw and was carted 10 deep on the home turn.” 

With the Magic Millions behind him, McColm set out on a task to win the Country Championships Final at Randwick in April last year. 

But first he had to qualify by winning the Country Championship Qualifier at Grafton, a month before the Sydney final. 

While preparing for the Sydney showdown, heavy rain saw flood waters rage around McColm’s Murwillumbah stables during the 2022 floods. 

Far Too Easy and several stablemates were stranded on his property as floodwaters rose to knee level. 

McColm was distraught and feared the worst before Far Too Easy was rescued and sent to Scone in the NSW Hunter Valley to prepare for the Country Championships in which he later finished fourth. 

“After the floodwaters went down, we managed to relocate him to Scone for a month and he ran a super race in the Country Championships,” he said. 

“At first, we thought his first up run at Eagle Farm was a little disappointing when he was ridden more forward than expected, but his last 600m was phenomenal that day. 

“When he got to the final everything was chaotic because of the floods and he was out of his normal routine training at Scone.” 

McColm then embarked on a mission for the $2 million The Kosciuszko over 1200m at Randwick last October. 

After two warm up runs at Eagle Farm and a win at the Gold Coast, Far Too Easy stamped his quality with another eye-catching performance to finish second behind Front Page in The Kosciuszko. 

“He had every hope in The Kosciuszko but he was beaten by a better horse on the day and Front Page has since gone on to run two good races in Group 1s in Melbourne,” he said. 

Far Too Easy showed he was on the right path for the Queensland Racing Carnival winning a Benchmark race at Doomben on April 22. 

McColm gave a little chuckle when asked what he planned to do if Far Too Easy won a Brisbane winter major or The Kosciuszko in October.  

“I’ll probably reflect on my life a little but I’d reinvest in buying more young horses with the money,” he said. 

“It’s what I love doing.”