Connections of Fahey’s Magic may be $100,000 richer after claiming the Group 1 Golden Sands at Albion Park overnight, but their newfound riches won’t stop the group of larrikins from celebrating in true down-to-earth Australian fashion.
“The owners and the old man are coming down to my place and I reckon we’ll just tip a few down in my shed,” trainer Tyson Barton said this morning.
The 38-year-old now a Group 1 winning trainer after Fahey’s Magic overpowered fellow NSW chaser Father Rick in the latter stages of a memorable 600m contest to claim victory in a time of 34.89.
A happy group of Connections after Fahey's Magic won the $100,000 Golden Sands at Albion Park. Photo courtesy of Box 1 Photography
“She did it tough but that’s the sort of dog she is, she just keeps on coming and is a little ripper,” Barton added.
“She’s got a beautiful temperament but she’s still that keen to chase, it’s a rare quality how much she wants it. And she’s only small but she gets around like she’s a 40kg dog. She’s all heart and has got a real good ticker in her.”
“And Father Rick was very brave and it was a ripping run by him. To do what he is doing at that age is unbelievable. And his trainer Sharron [Webster] was lovely straight after the race, she probably congratulated me 10 times.”
The Casino local admitting he wasn’t certain of the final result until he heard the roars of delight from the winners small but vocal ownership group.
“I couldn’t really see her going down the back through the catching pen but when she came past me at the 600m boxes I thought she was going pretty well,” he said.
“Then I started to s*** myself because I thought she was going to win it and I didn’t know how to react. It’s hard to tell who wins from the starting boxes but then I heard the owners up in the grandstand going ballistic, that’s when I knew she got up.”
The Golden Sands trophy now set to sit proudly alongside the Bold Trease title Barton won as an owner with So Seductive (trained by Kel Greenough) back in 2010.
The two results garnering totally different emotions.
“There’s no real pressure as an owner and there’s a lot more satisfaction as a trainer. Everything you’ve done with the dog, day in and day out all pays off when you get a win like this. A lot of times in this game it doesn’t work out that way so I’m pretty happy,” Barton said.
The result even more impressive considering Fahey’s Magic has only been in Barton’s kennel since November.
The daughter of Magic Sprite x Amber Ale arriving after a successful stint with John and Jane Carruthers where she ran in the 2023 Group 2 Richmond Oaks final and won a dozen races for the duo.
“She arrived in great order from John and Jane. She had a good record, she was a ready-made race dog, fit and sound and I’ve just fed her and taken her to the races,” a bashful Barton said.
Fahey's Magic owner Chad Pearce. Photo courtesy of Box 1 Photography
Australia’s first Group 1 winner of 2024 now being steered towards a brand new $25,000 race on the GRNSW calendar in February, with half an eye also pointed towards the rich Country Classic in March.
“’The Richmond’ race is on at Casino over the 600 in about a month so we’ll head to that. She likes Casino and handles it pretty good there,” Barton said.
“And so long as she gets there, runs well and then pulls up OK, ‘The Clarence’ at Grafton might be an option too. The 660m at Grafton is a tough run but I think she could make it. From there, I wouldn’t put the Country Classic past her in March but we’ll see what happens. I’m not getting too far ahead of myself just yet.”
The win takes Fahey’s Magic record to 33: 15-9-2 with over $153,000 in career earnings.
In the night’s other features, the Dennis Barnes-trained Nangar Nellie ran third in the Group 2 Bogie Leigh Futurity, while Party Mode (Craig Gardoll) and Zipping Remus (Minnie Finn) ran second and third respectively in the Group 2 QLD Derby.
