Thurlow and Collett celebrate their Glory Day

[Chief Stipe]

The longest three weeks in Waverley farmer Bill Thurlow’s life ended in victory as Glory Days became the second Taranaki mare in two years to race away with the Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup.

Three weeks ago Thurlow brought the plain little bay north for her first right-handed test in the Avondale Cup and he went home buoyed by a narrow but impressive win in the 2400-metre race.

Knowing Glory Days needed minimal hard racing, he backed that confidence with the decision to stay close to home and rely on trackwork to keep her at peak fitness for the biggest race of both his and the five-year-old’s career.

“I talked it through with Kevin Myers and he said so long as I get the miles into her legs she would be ready,” Thurlow reflected as the gravity of today’s big win sunk in.

In the end it was as comprehensive a performance as anyone could wish for as Glory Days more than emulated 2018 Auckland Cup winner Ladies First. Sam Collett adopted the same tactics that had won the Avondale Cup, settling Glory Days at the back of the field and then edging her forward from the 800-metre mark.

This time the progress was not quite as rapid and it wasn’t until she had balanced up at the top of the straight that Glory Days hit the front. From that point it was a forgone conclusion as the Waverley mare charged on to score by two lengths from Five To Midnight, as brave as ever as he notched yet another big race placing.

The Awapuni gelding took second by a nose from Avondale Cup runner-up Blue Breeze, with more than five lengths to fourth placegetter Dee And Gee, who was brave after setting the pace.

Melbourne stayer Vengeur Masque tried hard for fifth in ground that was much wetter than he prefers, while Gundown and Charles Road headed the remainder.

“I could see a long way out that things were panning out as we had hoped, she was travelling so well,” added Thurlow. “At the top of the straight it looked like she was home, so I know it sounds crazy but in the end it was easy.”

Thurlow planned to be in the road once Glory Days had cooled off and would leave a decision on immediate plans until monitoring her through the start of next week, but he rated her chances of making it to Randwick for next month’s Sydney Cup as “pretty good”.

If he needed any encouragement to take on Australian’s best autumn stayers he needed only to turn to the throng of Waverley supporters who had come north to cheer for their latest equine hero.

“There must be about a hundred of us here,” commented one of their number over the birdcage fence. “We wouldn’t miss this for anything, so we’re going to give Auckland town shake tonight!”

For winning rider Sam Collett, this was the ultimate victory, a first Group One in the race that her parents Jim Collett and Trudy Thornton quinellaed in 1991 and the perfect complement to last season’s jockeys’ premiership.

“I couldn’t wish for any other race to crack my Group One,” said the popular jockey. “It’s the Auckland Cup, it’s Ellerslie and I’ve won it for some wonderful people.

“At no stage did I have any worries, she settled beautifully and when it came time to go she dragged me into the race. I wish they were all that easy, but this is the win I’ve been waiting for a long time.”

 

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