The fierce hail storm that hit Flemington just after the running of the Newmarket Handicap left a path of destruction as per this supplied photograph. Did the horses know via their own instincts that the storm was going to be so severe that they virtually simply followed the leader?

There is no doubt the 2010 Newmarket was a weird race. In fact I advised my Melbourne Sectional Times clients that “I rated the Newmarket about the silliest race I’ve seen in 2010” and later suggested we should “full flush” the race, to get it off the radar.

To recap events, the field went out their first 600 in 35.13, which is 1.10.26 pace, yet didn’t produce any sprint home by clocking only 1.10.11 overall.

Officially four of the first five horses at the 800 ran the first four placings on the line, (Wanted, Eagle Falls, Starspangledbanner and King Pulse) which in itself in a Group 1 sprint race up the straight is surely extraordinary, given there were some talented straight track performers that had settled back in the ruck, which seemingly couldn’t make any ground at all.

Emails have arrived at this website saying that there was a howling wind into the runners faces when the race was run and that was the reason for the slow time. No one is disputing the headwind aspect of the race, but then why weren’t the horses that had cover behind the leading group of horses advantaged at the business end of the race? That didn’t happen – as the leaders kept their positions to the finishing line.

Flemington Track Manager Mick Goode raised an interesting point in a RadioTAB interview with Steve Hewlett last Friday. He has suggested that the horses in the Newmarket Handicap sensed a bad storm was pending and therefore “the pack mentality” took over, such that they all basically “followed the leader.” Initially people who have not grown up around livestock may well laugh at the very notion of Goode’s idea, which he said an acquaintance had also mentioned to him.

Having been born in the bush and grown up on a farm - and consequently having been around horses and cattle all my life, the idea isn’t as stupid as it may originally seem.

For instance when a dingo is on the prowl around cows that have calves at foot, the cows will form a circle and usher the calves into the middle of the herd, denying the dingo access to the young calves.

In the equine world, it is just a fact that when you have a paddock full of mares and foals it is very astute business acumen to have an old mare - the matriarch of the herd if you like - and as she’s old, she’s used to storms and she will show the herd how to handle a bad storm. Take her away from that herd and the rest of the group would probably panic and get strung up in fences etcetera. That old mare might have a value of $300 at the doggers, but she may well save the life of a million dollar foal in a fierce storm.

Speaking of the hail storm that hit Flemington after the Newmarket, Mick Goode stated on RadioTAB last Friday “to see and hear and smell the event happen was quite strange and animals being animals, this is my theory, I don’t know whether anyone else agrees with it, a couple of horse people – Neil Begg and those sort of people who are on my side – think the horses knew what was happening before we did and ah, if you were at the Newmarket there’s only two horses that made any ground in the race at all and that would be Tollesprit and All Silent probably made up a length in the last furlong. The rest of them, just wherever they landed, that was where they stayed, and like they just went to one part of the track. It nearly, to me, reads like it was a herd reaction, you know, we’ll just get down there safely and get out of here. I don’t know, maybe I’m reading too much into it”.

SH: “I don’t think you are. I’ve heard it mentioned as well. I don’t think it’s a silly suggestion at all”.

MG: “Animals being animals know more than we do. That’s their sixth sense and the actual event, the cloud went past us because the (weather) bureau and the Chief Steward and myself were all of the opinion the event was going to miss us and the second part of the cloud and storm matter was our dangerous bit. What happened was, if anyone knows Flemington, you get to the University at Footscray and weather either goes down the coast, or splits and goes to the mountain. Well this went past the University and then done a u-turn and come back at us – and it all happened in about three minutes”.

What happened in the 2010 Newmarket Handicap at Flemington we may never know, but I thought Mick Goode’s point is at least worth advising to people who missed the interview.