Training ‘battler’ savours victory in Ron Sayers Sprint

A long-overdue trip to the Goldfields for a tilt at the rich spoils of the annual Race Round played out perfectly on Saturday for North Boyanup trainer Greg Beauglehole when Crippalenko won the $100,000 Yarradale Stud Ron Sayers Sprint (1100m).

Beauglehole, an eight-year trainer and self-described battler with six horses currently in work, said he was taken aback by the generosity of Goldfields residents on his first visit for the round.

After Crippalenko scored at $24 and $4.90 on the tote, Beauglehole reserved special praise for well-known local horseman Gary Bowen, who he said had set the tone for his success on Kalgoorlie Cup day by providing stabling for the weekend.

“It was bloody beautiful because as most people probably know, it (training) is a pretty tough gig,” Beauglehole said.

“I’ve basically put all my life’s work into my own farm and setting-up stalls, fencing, washdown bays and everything else, so to actually breed your own and produce a winner like the other day, it was a dream come true.

“And I was very fortunate that a mate of mine, after I’d mentioned that I wanted to take up Zachariah Beau as a travelling companion for Crippalenko, put me on to Gary Bowen for a couple of boxes.

“I looked Gary up and what a beautiful man and who looked after my partner Kelly and I and our little rider, Laila McGinty, who’s only 15 and just got her strapper’s ticket last week.

“Gary Bowen — what a kind man, but no fool either.

“We were like old mates after about two minutes.”

Not surprisingly, Beauglehole is plotting his 2025 Race Round trip.

“I reckon us battlers always get one good horse, sooner or later,” he said.

“I’ve had a few good ones and I reckon this one is next-level.

“We struck gold, mate, and put it this way — the trip home was a bit easier than the trip up.

“Kelly is a great cook so we don’t do a lot of wining and dining, but after that we parked up at The Cray (seafood restaurant) and enjoyed ourselves.”

Sayers, who died in 2022 aged 70, was a lifetime supporter of the KBRC who revelled in promoting the Race Round.

In 2001, Sayers was among four Goldfields part-owners of star galloper Northerly — along with Ian Grljusich, Tony Patrizi and Peter Bartlett — who won the $2.25 million Cox Plate at Moonee Valley.

The win was at the expense of champion mare Sunline, with Grljusich the only member of the group to actually see Northerly’s win on-course.

In winning the Cox Plate, Northerly became only the second WA horse to win the country’s greatest weight-for-age event.

The performance at the time revived memories of 1995 when Doriemus — part-owned by local businessman Keith Biggs and Kalgoorlie doctor Dick Austin — completed a Melbourne-Caulfield cup double.

For many years, major support of the KBRC included Sayers and his wife Lyn opening their Yarradale Park Stud property near Gidgegannup to all racing industry members.

Sayers was introduced to racing by his father Tom and as a small boy he dreamed of winning a feature during the round.

Also last Saturday, Peter Fernie trained four winners and champion jockey William Pike rode four winners, including the favourite, Starry Heights, in the Kalgoorlie Cup.