The message from trainer Frank Hurst is pretty clear. While he may be stepping away from racing and heading to stud duties, we haven’t seen the last on the racetrack of Good Odds Harada.
Frank and his wife Tracey announced on Monday that their 2019 TAB Million Dollar Chase winner was being retired from racing to immediately begin stud duties. But Frank also made it clear that Good Odds Harada’s time at stud may be brief.
“He’ll eventually come back,” Hurst said. “He’s only young. He’s not even three yet until April. He’s only a baby as far as good dogs go.
“I just had to pull the pin because he’s been up for 14 months and where do you keep going? He’s one of the best dogs in Australia and you get invited everywhere and they all want him at their tracks, and you don’t want to let anyone down.”
Hurst revealed that Good Odds Harada may only spend as little as four weeks at stud before, depending on the situation at stud, embarking on a comeback to the track.
“You don’t want to give them any longer to be honest,” Hurst said. “And I honestly believe he will come back a better dog.
”We haven’t seen the last of him (on the racetrack) unless God forbid he breaks down or something like that, but it’s not over yet.
“He’s a race dog. He loves to race. He’ll probably be a great stud dog too, he’s so well bred and he’s got everything going for him.
“He just needs a break. He was flat going to Melbourne last weekend.”
Good Odds Harada had what is for the time being his final race in last Saturday’s Group 1 Temlee at The Meadows where he finished sixth.
His career record stands at an exceptional 24 wins and 24 placings from 56 starts.
He also finishes racing with $1,278,135 in his bank account, placing him third of the all-time prizemoney list behind only Fanta Bale ($1,365,175) and Fernando Bale ($1,299,370). Had he won the Temlee last Saturday he would have surged to the top of that list.
“We’ll be back for the record. Whether it’s three months’ time or six months’ time or even 12 months’ time, he’ll own that record,” Hurst said.
The scenes of Hurst surrounded by his grand children and family on Million Dollar Chase grand final night last October will be lasting memories for anyone who witnessed them.
Just a few months later Goods Odds Harada collected his first Group 1 victory with a win in the Dapto Megastar.
Only last money his brother, the cult hero Feral Franky, was also retired to the breeding barn, with breeders now having another option to get into the successful bloodlines of the sons of Collision and Solar Park.
