Music Time set to soundtrack Vella’s Slipper fairytale
It has been precisely two decades since Gratz Vella last saddled up a runner in the world’s richest juvenile race, but the knockabout Canberra horseman is keen to make up for lost time as he plots to script a Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) Cinderella story with his underdog Music Time (All Too Hard).
Music Time, who delivered his 67-year-old trainer’s first Group win when he led his rivals a merry dance in the Black Opal Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m), will take a quantum leap into the unknown and tackle the might of the country’s most powerful stables after connections stumped up the $150,000 late nomination fee.
It was something of a risk vs reward conundrum for his six-strong ownership group, with Music Time – who is bidding to become his sire’s first Slipper winner – requiring a top four finish for them to realise a profit on their investment. However, if the canny $45,000 purchase were to prevail against the odds in Saturday’s David vs Goliath battle, connections would leave Rosehill Gardens with a life-changing cheque for $2.95 million.
With most bookmakers posting pre-race odds of $34 about Music Time, who will continue his association with French-born jockey Pierre Boudvillain, Vella is firm in his belief that his young charge has been underestimated and his faith in the horse’s ability has been backed up by some of the country’s more respected form analysts.
It was after canvassing their opinion and consulting with Music Time’s owners – some of whom have been supporting the stable for more than four decades – that Vella considered revising his initial plan to send the gelding for a spell and instead aim up at the Slipper.
Fearing that, at his age, he might never train another one good enough to compete in such a prestigious contest, Vella was keen to shoot for the stars with a horse who has aptly acquired the nickname of “The Rocket”.
“A couple of Sydney trainers rang me up after his win in the Black Opal and said they thought he was the equal of any two-year-old horse in the country, so that was good enough for me,” Vella told ANZ News.
“Some of the form experts also backed that up when I spoke to them, and they told me he was right in the race because it’s quite an even bunch of two-year-olds this year. I thought we might as well have a go, but I left the final call up to the owners because they had to come up with the money, and in the end it was a fairly easy decision for them to make. Their main concern was that the horse was still right, and when I told them I was really happy with him, they were happy to pay the fee.
“Look, it’s a $5 million race and we’re going up against the best two-year-olds in Australia, prepared by the best trainers in the country. So we’d be foolish to say we’re going to win the race but I do think we have a genuine chance. He was $51 after his win in the Black Opal and there’s been a bit of money for him since then, so some of the smarter punters obviously think he’s in with a chance and they don’t often get it wrong.
“He’s been super since his win, you wouldn’t even have known he’d had a run. He’s going as well this week as he was heading into the Black Opal, he’s been kicking up and is as cheeky as ever so that’s a pretty good sign.”
Vella’s sole Slipper contender to date was One Time (Mister C), who went round at odds of $301 in the 2006 edition won by none other than David Hayes’ superstar Miss Finland (Redoute’s Choice).
Two years later, You’re Canny (Canny Lad) was born and after registering a first stakes success for Vella in the 2011 Black Opal Stakes – when it was a Listed contest – the now 17-year-old will always hold a special place in his former trainer’s affections.
However, given his performances to date and seemingly limitless potential, Vella concedes that You’re Canny may well have been usurped by the new kid on the block.
“I’ve had a couple of handy horses in the past, but at this stage of his career Music Time would have to be the best I’ve trained,” said Vella, who currently has 19 horses in work.
“He’s done everything we’ve asked of him, he was probably a little unlucky not to win on debut but since then he’s been perfect. The horse will have his final piece of work with a partner here on his home track on Tuesday morning, and that should top him off nicely.
“He’s very forward and he’s been racing since the end of last year, so he’s got a very good fitness base. We haven’t had to do too much with him since the Black Opal, and I find with two-year-olds that less is more because if you ask too much of them, they can quickly go over the top.
“Pierre will gallop him on Tuesday, he knows the horse as well as anyone and hasn’t done anything wrong, so we’re all very happy to trust him to get the job done for us on Saturday. I just hope we can draw a good gate, because as we saw in the Black Opal the horse prefers to be up on the speed. We drew barrier 14 with One Time back in 2006, so we had no chance from out there but I’m hoping for a bit more luck this time round.”
Luck was certainly on his side at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale last year when, armed with a strict budget of $50,000, Vella took an immediate shine to Lot 425 during inspections.
Given that five of the previous seven lots sired by Vinery’s reliably consistent producer All Too Hard (Casino Prince) had been knocked down for six figures, Vella naturally assumed his relatively modest purchasing power wouldn’t stretch nearly far enough – particularly as the colt’s half-sister Little Miss Kubi (Headwater) was already a stakes winner in Adelaide.
He was therefore elated when the bidding stopped just short of his spending limit, and he was able to take the fourth foal out of Miss Eisenstadt (Manhattan Rain) back home to Canberra with him.
“I usually buy yearlings by first-season sires and I prefer it to be the dam’s first foal, so I broke all my own rules with this one,” Vella told ANZ News.
“I just liked the way he moved and I also really liked the dimples on his neck. For some reason I always look for that on horses and I’ve had a fair bit of success with that theory in the past. It sounds a bit quirky but it’s been working for me, so I’ll keep doing it.
“I had $50,000 to spend at the sale and we picked him up for $5,000 less than that, if the other bidder had kept going for much longer we would’ve had to walk away so I’m very glad that he didn’t. Buying horses at the sales is a bit like a raffle, but if this horse keeps going the way he has been, it looks like we may have won the lottery with him.”
Despite the potential for his life to be turned upside down on Saturday afternoon, you get the distinct impression that Vella’s salt of the earth nature and reputation as a battler from the bush would prevent him from getting too carried away if the seemingly impossible dream became a reality.
With that in mind, Vella has been focused on maintaining his tried and trusted methods and not falling into the trap of overthinking or tinkering with the horse’s usual routines.
“I had a beer and a feed with [fellow trainer] Frank Cleary last week, and his advice to me was to keep doing what you’re doing and not change anything with your preparation.
“It’s easy to get caught up with the build-up to such a big race and take your eye off things, but I’ve been around long enough now to not get too carried away. I’ve had three Group 1 runners in my career and none of them have performed particularly well, so this would definitely be my best chance of winning one.
“And if you could choose to win one, the Slipper would be pretty high on the list. It would obviously be a dream come true to win a race like that, but it’s an honour for me just to have a runner in it. I’m sure the owners will have a great day out, no matter what happens.”