Rewards know no bounds

By Glenn Davis

If there is no risk, there’s often no reward.

That sums up the difficult decision trainer Rob Heathcote pondered before his star filly Abounding gave him his first win in the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas at the Gold Coast in January.

Heathcote, a winner of 12 Group 1s, slept on advice from international jockey Martin Harley for several days before sending Abounding into the $3 million feature a month between runs.

Abounding had just won the Listed Gold Edition Plate at Eagle Farm in mid-December last year when Harley asked Heathcote what he planned to do with the daughter of Rich Enuff.

“Abounding had narrowly won the Gold Edition at Eagle Farm when Martin got off her and asked me what my future plans were with her,” Heathcote said.

“I told him I was looking at running her over 1350m on the way to the Magic Millions.

“He said, ‘Robert, I think she’s fit enough and won’t need another run before the Guineas’.

“That meant she would have had one month between runs and going from 1200m to 1400m into a $3 million race.

“I slept on it for a day or two because it was something I wouldn’t normally do, but I’ve got to give credit where it’s due to Martin.”

Heathcote took the advice and sent Abounding to Kolora Lodge for a week where she did some water walking and day yard time.

“I had planned to trial her when she came back but the inclement weather forced the trials she was entered for to be called off,” he said.

“So, she went into the race with a slightly disrupted training preparation.”

Heathcote believed any faults he had made with Abounding’s training routine were cancelled out with a 12 out of 10 ride from Harley.

“It was an absolute perfect ride,” Heathcote said.

“He’s an international Group 1 jockey who is vastly experienced and has ridden all over the world.

“But the praise I give him is because he’s a horseman. He’s got a very good understanding of a thoroughbred horse.”

It’s well documented that Harley’s fairytale win aboard Abounding came after breaking his neck a week out from the Magic Millions in 2023.

The mishap cost Harley the ride on two horses that won at the Magic Millions that day.

The Abounding story began when Ashley Dowley, one of the partners in her ownership group, First Light Racing, spotted her at the Magic Millions Yearling Sale.

“Ashley found her at the sales and she asked me to go over and have a look at her,” Heathcote said.

“I liked her a lot when I first saw her.

“She was very leggy and a scopey filly who hadn’t really furnished, so we bought her for $85,000.”

Heathcote knew he had an above-average filly when she easily won barrier trials at Eagle Farm and Doomben in October 2022.

However, she never repeated her winning trial form but still finished a strong third behind the Tony Gollan-trained Skirt The Law in a Two-Year-Old Handicap at Doomben in her debut.

“She was a $1.60 favourite in her first start but came up against Skirt The Law,” Heathcote said.

“We later found out when she pulled up that she was shin sore that day.

“It’s rather uncanny, that a moderate two-year-old race at Doomben could produce two Magic Millions winners.

“Skirt The Law went on to win the Magic Millions Classic last year and Abounding won the Guineas in January.”

Heathcote spelled Abounding after her debut and brought her back to prepare for the Queensland Winter Carnival last year.

“She ran second first-up at the Sunshine Coast and was then fourth at Eagle Farm before she won her maiden at Caloundra,” he said.

“She then ran in the Ken Rusell at the Sunshine Coast and was just beaten by Russian Alliance who had won her previous four starts.

“Tim Clark rode her in the Ken Russell and he admitted after the race that he went too soon on her and she got a little lost in the straight.”

Abounding subsequently finished second behind the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Zia in the Listed Bill Carter at Doomben before a minor placing in the Listed Oxlade won by the Ciaron Maher-trained Namesake.

“She had wide barriers in all those races and just had no luck that campaign,” Heathcote said.

When Abounding returned from a break for her summer campaign, she started a $1.90 favourite when she finished second in the Listed Mode Plate before taking out the Listed Gold Edition in a photo over the Tony and Maddy Sears-trained, Avone.

Heathcote believed Abounding’s career of four wins and six placings from 11 starts following her Guineas triumph should read a lot better.

“She’s done an amazing job so far but she was very unlucky in a few races early on,” he said.

“Wide barriers beat her a couple of times but she’s risen to another level now.”

While Heathcote has won a dozen Group 1s, his Magic Millions Guineas triumph was the richest in his long career.

“It was worth $1.7 million to the winner, which is the biggest prize money I’ve ever won,” he said.

At the Magic Millions Guineas presentation ceremony, Heathcote thanked First Light Racing for their continued support and hoped Abounding could take up the mantle as his newest stable star.

“It was a very special achievement,” Heathcote said.

“First Light Racing; they have been a tower of strength to my business for a long time now since they first came up to Queensland.”

Heathcote is currently recovering from knee surgery, courtesy of his days as an Australian Rules footballer in Tasmania, where he grew up alongside Richmond star, Michael Roach.

“I’ve been in constant pain with my knee for 18 months,” Heathcote said.

“It’s just wear and tear from my old football days in Tasmania.

“My best mate was Michael Roach, who won a VFL premiership with Richmond and a Coleman Medal for kicking more than 100 goals in a season.”

While Heathcote has kicked his own goals as a trainer, he’s hoping Abounding can find her way into the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm in June.

“I’ve never won the Stradbroke but Rothfire has run third and second in the past two Stradbroke Handicaps,” he said.

“Buffering tried to win it three times, finishing fourth at his first attempt then ran second twice.

“Abounding will probably start off in the Mick Dittman Plate, then the Gold Coast Guineas and Fred Best.

“The Fred Best winner gets an automatic start in the Stradbroke.”

Getting Abounding to the Stradbroke may be risky path but the reward is well worth the effort.