For Stephen Meyer, the chance to have a runner in Friday’s Quirindi Cup is a dream come true.
A hobby trainer who, as a child, always dreamed of having horses is now retired and has just one galloper in work in the form of Danza In The Dark.
Tomorrow, the 69-year-old will team up with two-kilogram-claiming apprentice Cobi Vitler when starting the seven-year-old in the $50,000 feature.
A last-start winner when taking out the $45,000 Walcha Cup (1440m) on February 9, Meyer hopes Danza In The Dark can step up in class when taking on a tougher field over the 1600m journey.
“It’s going to be hard, and General Soho is Group-placed, and there are some other good horses in it, and I don’t know if he is that good,” Meyer told NSW Country and Picnic Racing.
“He’s an honest little fella and tries his best, and he draws well in the race, and we’ve got Cobi on board.”
The Walcha Cup win was the biggest victory of both Meyer and Vitler’s careers, and it was a tough win, with the Tamworth galloper travelling three and four wide before powering to victory.
“We thought he might have run a good race but didn’t know he would handle Walcha,” Meyer said.
“It’s a tight-turning track, and he’s got a really long stride, and it was a tough run.
“He’s now a Benchmark 72 after the win, and we’ve got to look at those Country Cups, and that’s why we’ll go to Quirindi.”
Meyer, who previously raced horses with the Aberdeen-based Carol and Peter Bowen, has since taken up training himself, with Danza in the Dark his first winner.
Since taking out his maiden as a $1.60 favourite at Dubbo in late 2020, the Summa Cum Laude gelding has taken Meyer on a journey, winning five races and placing a further 14 times on the way to earning over $140,000.
“You wouldn’t believe it,” Meyer said.
“It’s magic, and it’s just something that’s hard to describe.
“He’s our only horse, and he gets a two-stubby pick, which is where I hold him, and he has a pick of green grass while I have two stubbies, and that’s what it is about for us.
“He is always up there running a place, and there are times where I’ve put him in the wrong race instead of barrier trialling him, and if he was with a big trainer, I’m sure they would have done things differently, but he’s always picked up prizemoney and been a good horse to have.”
Meyer lives in Duri, with his farm nearly 20km out of Tamworth, and he thanked those around him for making his dream possible.
“The big trainers thank their staff, and I haven’t got any staff, but I have lovely, lovely people that look after me,” Meyer said.
“Todd Bailey is my track work ride, and he’s always there to help, and Sarah Curtis, she used to ride him, and she helps out, and I couldn’t do it without them.”
A grateful Tamworth trainer hopes the racing gods are still in his corner on Friday, but it is an excellent Quirindi Cup on paper.
The Paul Perry-trained General Soho (Aaron Bullock, $4.60) is fresh off a decisive victory in a 1400m benchmark 68 Handicap at Newcastle earlier this month.
The Brett Cavanough-trained Stay Safe (Braith Nock, $3,80) has been installed as the favourite, with the Listed and Group-placed five-year-old drawing nicely with gate four.
Fellow Tamworth trainer Wayne Brown will start the in-form Subuki (Anna Roper ($8.50), and last-start Cowra Cup winner Not Too Bad (Jake Pracey-Holmes, $11) will make the trip from Gilgandra for Kieren Hazelton.
On a great day’s racing at Quirindi, the $40,000 Lightning Handicap (1100m) has attracted a very smart field of sprinters, and the $50,000 Super Maiden Handicap (1450m) will be a very competitive betting race.
Complementing the eight-race program is fashions on the field, and for more on Quirindi’s big day, click here.
