Annie more than ready to deliver owner another winner

By Jordan Gerrans

It was almost a year ago that Ipswich’s Robert Matthews was celebrating a trial win for a horse he part-owned.

The 65-year-old has been in the ownership game for around four decades and has owned around a dozen horses over those years.

Bee Two – who Matthews was in the ownership group of at the time – winning a trial at Deagon in March of last year was a major milestone in his racing journey.

It was the first time that any horse he had ever had shares in had won a trial – let alone win a race.

Looking back on it, he says it was ‘big’ and ‘important’ at the time.

“Little things can keep you amused,” Matthews said with a chuckle.

David Vandyke eventually moved Bee Two on from his stable after six starts without a victory.

In a cruel blow for Matthews and his fellow former part-owners, Bee Two won at his first start for new trainer Glenn Richardson at Warwick last month.

The long-time racing enthusiast persisted and went again with the leading Caloundra team of Vandyke.

The respected horseman eventually put the luckless owner in a young filly named Annie One Ready.

The black filly broke her maiden status on Wednesday afternoon at Ipswich in a stirring performance to hand Matthews his first ownership winner in the 40 years he’s been involved in the industry.

It is fair to say that Matthews and his wife – who were at the races for the event – were tickled pink with the breakthrough result.

“They were in tears and can’t believe it,” Vandyke said of his loyal connections.

“It is nearly a lifetime in the game. It is very special.”

While Matthews started his ownership journey some 40 years ago, he hasn’t had a horse constantly throughout that extended period of time.

He estimates he has had around a dozen gallopers since he got his first taste of it in Sydney with his father before moving north and linking up with the Vandyke team, where he has had four in recent times.

Manhattan Fire and Proud Miss are the other two he has raced with Vandyke.

He had horses with Dr Geoff Chapman, Neville Begg and Stephen Jones, among other trainers, over the decades.

“We have had an arm’s length of very sad stories on what can possibly go wrong,” Matthews recalls.

“Over a period of time if you do not have much luck, you learn a lot about the anatomy of a horse.

“I have always just wanted to chip away and live in the hope that one day you might be able to get into a decent horse.”

Matthews owns a five percent share in Annie One Ready and had similar stakes in other gallopers he previously raced.

But, as syndication and micro-syndication has proved in recent years, the percentage owned is largely irrelevant as owners feel 100 percent part of the journey.

‘I have always had a passion for the animal but you work within your means when it comes to ownership,” he said.

“It has always been a small little bit of ownership at the end of the day.

“But, the heartache isn’t proportional to the ownership stake.

"It has been a long, long journey but at the same time, you became very appreciative of some things that people take for granted like those that buy into a good horse or syndicate early on in their journey.

“History tells me that getting a horse to the track to even race is a feat in itself at times, let alone winning a race.”

Annie One Ready ran second in her first public trial in the middle of last year before winning one at the Sunshine Coast last month.

The Better Than Ready filly impressed on debut when she ran second at Doomben as she hit the line smartly.

She started as a $3 shot on Wednesday and with leading hoop James Orman commencing from a low alley, the stars were aligning for the long-time owner.

But, as he details, he never counts his chickens before they hatch.

“When you come with the background that I have, I know it sounds corny but I just get a kick out of seeing the horse at the track,” he said.

“I get a kick out of watching her come out of the gates. She came second in her first race to a pretty fair horse and when Orman got off her that day, he was wrapped with that as he rode her in a trial, as well.

“I take my guide from people who know and Orman is a guy who knows his stuff.

“He got down to 56kg this week to ride her because he wanted the ride – he had a high opinion of her.

“He is a gentleman as a rider and I am blessed to be working with guys like him and David – he is a fantastic trainer and guy.”

Annie One Ready claimed the QTIS Three-Year-Old Maiden Plate over 1200 metres by more than a length.

While she is an unassuming youngster, Vandyke likes the filly.

“I can’t get my head around why she is as good as she is because she is like the stable pony,” the Caloundra-based conditioner said.

“She is the first horse I take out of the stables for a swim every morning and she doesn’t have a mean bone in her body.

“She was falling asleep saddling up before this race. She is only diminutive, but she can run.”

Matthews jokes that his filly might be on the way to black-type honours later in her career but for now, he is just chuffed to get the monkey off his back after four decades.