could sense any trouble before it occurred. By chance, the stable nearest the driveway, the first of the newest bank of stalls, was available for the two-year-old to occupy. It was directly opposite the stable’s covered sand roll.
With Manikato back from Yarra Park and in the stable only a day or two, Leeanne noticed an oddity: the straw bedding was disappearing. The suspect was standing on what was left of it, and Leeanne believed the missing straw was deep inside Manikato’s stomach. While edible, this type of straw certainly wasn’t part of the gelding’s feed regime and too much of it would imperil his health.
Bon Hoysted was a systematic trainer; most horses were treated the same, whether they won good races or were getting thrashed in maiden events. This included the bedding they rested on in their stables. Something had to be done, as straw bedding and a horse’s digestive system didn’t equate to winning races.
The nearby sand roll became the solution and a second home to Manikato. Through the middle part of the day leading up to evening feed he would stay in the sand roll; he didn’t have an appetite to try sand as part as of his diet. It was an exception to Hoysted’s system that he was prepared to allow—one that was not offered often.
Another part of the Hoysted routine was the Sunday morning swimming sessions at Mordialloc Beach. The staff on-hand enjoyed these days, particularly in the warmer months. It was relaxing, without the hustle and bustle of trackwork mornings. Although the stables were less than a kilometre from Port Phillip Bay, the busy thoroughfare of the Nepean Highway lay in-between, making horse-walking too risky. Throughout the morning, a horse truck would come and go, ferrying Manikato and others down to the shoreline. It broke up the monotony of running lap after lap of a training track and provided a therapeutic aid for some. Hoysted also believed he had an extra advantage swimming horses; it was a form of exercise not available to every trainer. Only a few of the larger training centres offered a swimming pool for horses and not many had access to a beach.
The routine at the beach wasn’t stringent. Ross McDonald, now a foreman for the stable, took out a row-boat and towed a couple of horses at a time. Some horses took to it better than others, but most waded comfortably through the gentle break. Manikato, after a hesitant first attempt, seemed to enjoy the variety a Sunday morning offered.
Every horse was part of Hoysted’s system, so every horse went down to the beach. There were those who might have said Bon's efforts were in vain (Bon's brother, Bob, was amongst them); it was a lot of effort for so many horses. But Bon was not inclined to pick favourites, and he treated all of his runners like champions. It was part of being in his team.
* * *
By Christmas of 1977, Manikato’s work was ramping up again. There was no lingering effect from the muscle strain of two months ago. It had healed within a couple of weeks. The morning routine had resumed. He would be floated to the track to eliminate any risk with local traffic, and upon arrival taken for a short walk. Then he would be tied up in a saddling stall, by which time Gary Willetts would arrive for a quick chat and receive his instructions. Manikato would then head out onto one of the tracks at Epsom for his work before returning to a tie-up stall. There he’d be unsaddled, have a roll and a wash, then another walk to help cool him off, before finally being rugged and taken back to Bon Hoysted’s stables.
Manikato generally had a companion for work. The only issue for Hoysted was that he didn’t have a horse with the speed to keep pace with him. Several horses were worked with him, depending on what each horse was up to in their program. Willetts would allow the companion a head start wherever possible to try and even up the contest on the training track. Hoysted had another two-year-old—Morn Scandal—set to debut around the same time as Manikato, and hence they were partnered in gallops.
At one of the final lead-up gallops Hoysted sent the pair out, giving Morn Scandal a sizable start for an 800-metre workout. Manikato picked her up with ease and Willetts could barely hold him with her over the latter stages so the pair could finish together, as instructed. The time of 54 seconds for the 800 metres wasn’t the impressive part; it was the manner in which it was done.
‘He just does it so easily,’ Willetts marvelled to Hoysted as they returned to be unsaddled.
‘Yes, he is ready to go. I’ll enter him for that race at Cranbourne next Wednesday,’ Hoysted said.
‘Surely he could go straight to town and win?’ claimed Willetts.
‘He can go to town after Cranbourne, if he wins.’
Too many times, Hoysted had seen horses that excited him in trackwork melt under the pressure of a race. He wanted to be sure he was dealing with the real thing before getting carried away. He’d already had one setback. Besides, he didn’t mind a bet, and perhaps if he lobbed to Cranbourne without any fanfare he just might get a good price.
After completing a final little dash around Epsom and pulling up without any sign of distress, Manikato was duly accepted for his debut race: a Two-Year-Old Handicap over 1000 metres. When fields were released there were only seven other runners and Manikato had drawn barrier one; the perfect gate.
‘It was going to take a very, very good horse to beat him after he drew one,’ said Willetts.
But there was some competition in the race that needed to be respected. Naas, a filly trained by Cliff Fahler, had already been to the races several times, including a victory and a narrow defeat at her latest start. She was fit, more experienced than Manikato and also had plenty of early speed.
Midsummer generally meant a large serving of hard tracks around Victoria. The Cranbourne meeting on Wednesday, 25 January 1978 was no exception. It was a warm day and the track was rated fast. The morning routine had been followed as usual at 4 Edith Street. Bon Hoysted had three runners engaged: Chelsea Square in the third race, Manikato in race four and Salyut in the seventh. Horses were groomed and bags packed for the short journey from Mordialloc. The vibes were good, with all three expected to run well, including the oversized two-year-old with the ‘boof’ head.
The day at the races started well. Chelsea Square won and confidence amongst the stable staff escalated. Manikato was next and Leeanne Smith put the final touches on his appearance in his race-day stall. Hoysted arrived with the race saddle, applied it to Manikato and then instructed Leeanne to head to the mounting enclosure.
In the meantime, bookmakers had just started betting on the race. Around the ring, Naas had gone up at 6/4 while Manikato had opened between 6/4 and 2/1, depending which bookmaker’s board you looked at. The word had been getting around that Bon Hoysted had a good young horse and this may have been it. Until now, unless you were privy to the activity at Epsom or you’d heard a whisper by someone ‘in the know’, Manikato was just one amongst several first-starters on the day.
By the time Leeanne stepped into the enclosure leading Manikato, he had already firmed into race favouritism. Those already with their money on were captivated by his physique; he looked senior while all others appeared junior. The chestnut flicked his head rapidly from side to side, checking out the surrounds. He had never sighted Cranbourne before with its mounting yard wedged between the grandstand and the racetrack. Manikato absorbed the scene as he and the other horses were walked before a curious array of onlookers peering over the fence for a first glimpse. He was on his toes, but not unruly, staying obedient to Leeanne’s commands.
Manikato was the even-money favourite when Willetts emerged from the jockeys’ room sporting the pink-and-white-striped colours. Willetts was already unbeaten from two rides on the day and was expecting this to be number three. He sidled up next to Bon Hoysted and owner Mal Seccull by the railing and watched as each horse was paraded.
‘Just make sure he jumps well and don’t leave anything to chance,’ instructed Hoysted.
Willetts was legged aboard and without causing any concern, quietly cantered the well-backed favourite around to the barriers. As Hoysted made his way up to watch the race from the grandstand, he caught sight of some of the bookmakers’ prices. Manikato was now odds-on, 4/6. Naas was out to 5/2. Most of the business had been done and Manikato would be a terrible result for the bookies if he were to win.
Willetts