Buy me a beer award….. By Tommy from Campbelltown

Kathy O'Hara after her win aboard Single gaze. Photo courtesy Ross Stevenson.
Kathy O’Hara after her win aboard Single gaze. Photo courtesy Ross Stevenson.

Hi Fans and Punters,

It has been a big week in racing and I have been down at ground level getting you the right stuff.

The Randwick Carnival finished with the second running of the Sydney Cup and, with the benefit of hindsight, us punters proved we are mad by not sending the original winner, Polarisation, out as an odds-on favourite……it had won the first Cup a few weeks earlier FFS!!!

But it got out to big odds, and won in similar fashion to how it won the first time. He will go down in history for a number of reasons being the first winner of a 4-mile handicap in Australia and the only horse to win the Sydney Cup twice in the same year. Great ride by Corey too.

Kerrin McEvoy continued his great form riding another treble and bringing his tally to something like 33 winners from his last 34 rides…..something ridiculous like that anyway…..the Award is on its way mate.

But this week, I have gone to one of the classier members of our sport to find my winner, Kathy O’Hara.

Kathy has been riding professionally since about 2002 and has ridden a heap of winners. Her biggest wins have probably been Ofcourseican in the Coolmore Stud Stakes at Rosehill for Ronny Quinton in 2012 and just before that with Voice Commander in the Underwood Cup at Caulfield.

She travels extensively to ride and as a punter, I, along with most other form students, are not afraid to back her mounts. She is well balanced, has good timing and is strong in a finish. She is also fiercely competitive and backs down from nobody.

She had a pretty big last week or so starting off at Hawkesbury with Bye See for Mick Tubman. Very promising horse and keep following it. Will win a nice race very soon.

She then rode Ribs to victory at Nowra and White Moss for Jason Coyle at Wyong a few days later. Both great rides.

She then went “left field” on Saturday by riding at Doomben for Jason Coyle who had a good team in some of the feature races.

She kicked off with Siren’s Fury who flashed home for a good third in a 1600 metre listed race for fillies.

She then led all the way on the tough and improving Sweet Serendipity in the Ascot Quality over 1200 metres.

The jewel in the Crown came with great and underrated mare Single Gaze in the Tails Quality (Listed). Parking on the speed, against all ages and males, the mare hit the lead in the straight and held off the challengers one by one with Kathy squeezing every last effort out of the bonny gal.

Single Gaze suffered a nasty fall in last year’s AJC Oaks and has only had a handful of runs back so to win a Listed race this early in the prep augurs well for the future.

Kathy celebrated her big day with some fishing just north of Sydney and a nice bag limit of flatties shared the ride home and into the pan.

Kathy is as nice a person as I have met in the game and in an era which has some pretty handy female riders, Kathy is on top of the heap in my book.

I see Kathy a fair bit and we always have a chat but I tell you what, she is well overdue to take me to the Berry Hotel, put her hand in her kick and buy me a beer.

Until next week this has been Tommy from Campbelltown…………….signing off.

Stay up to date with the latest racing news
Follow our social accounts to get exclusive content and all the latest racing news!