Brett Bellamy has finally won a Daniel Baker Showcase Sprint.
Racing at his home track on Friday, the Coffs Harbour-based trainer was dealing with mixed emotions as Boncassie (Ray Spokes, $4.20) took out the feature event, named in honour of the late Daniel Baker.
Baker, who was indentured to Bellamy during his apprenticeship, tragically lost his life in December 2007, with the 23-year-old falling from Hotshot Hayil in the Christmas Cup at Grafton.
Since 2008, Coffs Harbour Racing Club has held the annual Daniel Baker Sprint, and until Friday, it was a race that had eluded Bellamy.
“You are only as good as the horses you’ve got in it, and we’ve had runners in the race every year, and we’ve never had one good enough to win,” Bellamy said.
“This year, the plan was to run Boncassie in it, and the plan came off.”
Bellamy still struggles with the loss of Baker, who was a popular racing identity in the Northern Rivers and Mid-North Coast.
“Daniel was apprentice to me, and he was a brilliant kid,” Bellamy said.
“All he ever wanted to do in life was to be a jockey; he could struggle to ride the weight and would have cut his legs off if it meant he could be a jockey longer.
“He never buggered up opportunities, and even if horses weren’t good enough, he still won on them; he worked as hard as anyone.”
Making the win all the more special for connections was that FM Glenn Constructions sponsored the event.
The business was owned by the late Wayne Glenn, a good friend of Bellamy’s, and a loyal owner that backed Bellamy and his team until he passed away from cancer in 2014.
“It was a good race to win for a combination of reasons,” Bellamy said as he held back tears.
“FM Glenn sponsors the race, and well, Wayne Glenn was my best mate, and cancer got him, and it was through him that I met Neville and Amanda Foley, who have been good owners for over ten years.
“Neville and Amanda own Boncassie, and they came down to show some support, and to win that race with their mare, and to have Daniel associated with it, it just tied everything up together.”
It was a popular win on the track, and Bellamy described a boisterous crowd cheering Spokes and the Bon Hoffa mare to victory in the $50,000 event.
“I was talking to Neville, and he was watching from up in the Members, and when she hit the front, he said the whole crown picked her up and got her through,” Bellamy said.
“Everyone wanted to see her win, and I’ve had text messages after the race, and so much support.
“Nowadays, it’s that hard to win a race anywhere, and it’s so good when a plan comes together.”
While Boncassie’s win in the Daniel Baker Sprint stole the show on the day, the Sara Ryan-trained Attractable (Andrew Gibbons, $17) won the $150,000 Coffs Harbour Cup (1600m).
Attractable held on gamely from the Joe Pride-trained King of the Castle (Jake Bayliss, $3.70) in second and the Peter and Will Hulbert-trained Hail Manhattan (Mark Du Plessis, $61) in third.
The Ken Howard Cup (2000m) was won by the Paul Shailer-trained Roller Coaster (Andrew Mallyon, $2.30), and the Merv Mercer Mile was taken out by the Greg Kilner-trained Kennysing (Ben Looker, $6.50).
For all results from Coffs Harbour, readers can click here.
