Image – Manning River Times.
He was the despised outsider at 60/1, but the Karen Owen-trained Sound and Vision defied all odds to win a thrilling edition of the $100,000 Taree Gold Cup on Sunday.
With Karen’s daughter, Madeline Owen, in the saddle, the pair raced at the rear of the field as the Julie Lynch-trained Claptone (Anna Roper, $41) and Adam Duggan-trained Made My Khan (Jean Van Overmeire, $4.40) ran the field along in the 2000m staying test.
As the field approached the home stretch, they fanned wide, with Owen able to take the shortcut on the rails before a gap opened up for Sound and Vision.
From there, the pair burst through the middle to take the lead and held on firmly from the Kris Lees-trained Rogue Bear (Dylan Gibbons, $2.10) and the Sam Kavanagh-trained Aramayo (Ashley Morgan, $5.50).
Karen Owen, who trains out of Taree with her horses, living a life of luxury in the paddock, was thrilled to land her first hometown cup win. However, she never expected to beat the likes of Lees, Kavanagh, Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.
“It was a surprise,” Owen laughed.
“We thought he would run well, and we went into the racing thinking we’d be happy if he finished in the first half of the field.
“Then, coming down the straight, I thought, ‘We might get a place here’, and then we won, which was very exciting.”
It was a real family affair, with Madeline celebrating the victory in the saddle. At the same time, Karen’s husband, Madeline’s father, and respected veterinarian, Adrian Owen, played a big part in having Sound and Vision ready to compete in the Taree Cup.
“It was nice to see Maddy win a big Country Cup; it was very emotional,” Owen said.
“I was very excited for her, and it was very special to have Maddy riding him for our family.
“The horse is just racing as well as ever; he is fit, and he has had a few little issues along the way, but my husband is a vet, the farrier, and he keeps him as good as he can be, and we were confident he was healthy and as good as he could be.
“Adrian is basically in a training partnership with me; we are working with me every day, and it was a special race to win.”
It was also a special moment for owner Ed Quilty, who took the leap of fate to buy the New Zealand-bred Felax gelding after he was sold back in 2021.
It’s proven a good move, with Sound and Vision now a six-time winner, earning over $150,000 in prize money.
“The owner is a good friend of mine who originally had a small share in him when he was first bought from a New Zealand Ready To Run sale,” Owen said.
“He raced with Greg Campbell, and after he won his maiden, the horse was going to be sold, and he bought the horse and gave it to me.
“He’s in Sydney, and I worked with him in the Mounted Police, and it was just a real thrill to win the race for him.”
Connections can now nominate for next year’s $3 million Big Dance (1600m), which will be run and won at Royal Randwick on the first Tuesday in November.
Still, Owen said much water had to pass under the bridge before connections considered that option.
“As you can imagine, it is going to be a competitive race, and that is if he is still going around,” Owen said.
“He will be an eight-year-old next year, and he is sound and can race well fresh over 1600m, but we’ll cross that bridge when it comes.”
On a big day at Taree, Wayne Wilkes won the Lightning Handicap (1000m) with Outreach To Henry (Andrew Gibbons, $2.45).
Click here for all results.
