Think About It’s FNQ connection on journey to The TAB Everest
When Simon Vaughan first saw the yearling which would go on to become Think About It he could never have predicted he’d end up celebrating a TAB Everest winner at Royal Randwick.
When Simon Vaughan first saw the yearling which would go on to become Think About It he could never have predicted he’d end up at Royal Randwick for the world’s richest race, let along have a stake in the TAB’s pre-race favourite.
A favourite which went on to win the $20m TAB Everest.
Vaughan has been involved in horse racing for much of his life, first through his father Jim and then again, much more recently, as a strapper working with Mareeba trainer Alex Malliff.
But nothing compares to the ride as a part-owner of a powerhouse five-year-old who has won 10 of its 11 starts, including the Stradbroke Handicap earlier this year, and was among the favourites for the TAB Everest (1200m).
“It’s super exciting,” Vaughan said on Friday.
“I was talking to someone this morning that after his win in the Stradbroke, being Queensland’s premier Group 1, we thought we couldn’t really top it.
“It’s a cherry on top, cherry on top, at the moment, the sky is the limit, I’m not sure where his ceiling is and how high he can go.”
The TAB Everest features 12 of the best sprinters in the world going head-to-head in the richest race in the world, with $20 million in prizemoney up for grabs, and Think About It shapes as one of the leading horses to beat.
This is how a long-held love for a certain stallion, a Father’s Day gift and a little bit of a luck propelled Simon Vaughan, his father and brother-in-law from Mareeba to the bright lights of Sydney for the world’s richest sprint.
A LITTLE BIT OF LUCK
Landing on Think About It was as much about luck as it was about fate.
Jim Vaughan had always loved So You Think, a classy runner who won two Cox Plates (2009 and 2010) and was third behind Americain in the 2010 Melbourne Cup and was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2019.
Jim’s no stranger to horse ownership - it’s how Vaughan was introduced to racing as a 10-year-old, watching trackwork at Eagle Farm - and so the idea was born to invest in a runner from that bloodline.
Come Easter, the Vaughans had joined the ownership group.
“We invested him as a yearling, in a syndicate with my brother in law and father,” Simon Vaughan said.
“Dad’s in his mid-70s now and he really loved So You Think as a stallion, and we were looking to invest in a So You Think horse.
“To be fair, we got a stroke of luck picking him on the internet.
“We got together, said Dad, you’re in your mid-70s and it’s going to be a combined birthday, Christmas and Father’s Day present rolled into one, we all invested in him and he’s taken us on the ride of a lifetime.”
SHREWD MOVE
It’s been quite the investment.
Think About It was bought as a $70,000 yearling a the Melbourne Premier sale; his total prizemoney now stands at $3.4 million.
“This is, for us, the horse of a lifetime,” Vaughan said.
“We’ll probably never own or be part of a horse like him again in the future.
“You have to pinch yourself.”
Think About It has won all eight starts this year, and has a chance to make history as the first horse to win the Premiere Stakes and The Everest double.
Trained by Joe Pride with Sam Clipperton in the saddle, the five-year-old has drawn nicely and is a strong chance.
EYE ON THE REGIONS
Atherton and Bowen Turf Clubs are a world away from the $20 million feature at Royal Randwick for the $20 million race but he’ll still have an eye on non-TAB meets.
Vaughan has a strong connection with Malliff’s growing stable having worked with him for the past few years, and the Mareeba trainer will have four runners across both tracks on Saturday.
“I’ll have an eye in Sydney and another in Bowen and another in Atherton – we’ve got runners there too,” Vaughan said.
“We’ll be watching on Facebook and keeping an eye on the track here in Sydney as well.
“That’s the bonus of the great game we’re in.”
THE AMBASSADORS
Cairns Jockey Club general manager Cameron Riches said the experience of Vaughan, along with Buenos Noches part-owners Darren Halpin, Cairns Jockey Club president Tom Hedley and committee member Bruce McDonald, and Andrew Guarrera, helped put Cairns racing on the map.
“Darren is oen of the leading syndicaters in Australi aand is a well-known supporter of cricket as well, and Tom and Bruce are both heavily involved with the jockey club,” Riches said.
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“Simon is a down to earth bloke, who helps others trainers and is always at the non-TAB meets in the bush, and also helps the club out a lot behind the barriers.
“It’s great they have the opportunity to be part of the big stage like this.”
matthew.mcinerney1@news.com.au
Originally published as Think About It’s FNQ connection on journey to The TAB Everest
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