Mark of a professional

By Brad Kingsbury
THE skill of leading Cranbourne jockey Mark “Sparrow” Flaherty proved the difference in two of the main support events during Sunday’s Pakenham Cup meeting.
Flaherty produced a perfectly timed run on $3 favourite Side Splitter to snatch victory in the $30,000 David Bourke Memorial Handicap, and then backed it up with an equally outstanding effort two races later aboard locally trained gelding Very Fast, to win the $25,000 Cora Lynn Football Club Showcase.
Both winning trainers, Cranbourne’s Jean Purcell and Pakenham mentor Julien Welsh, credited their victories directly to Flaherty.
“We debated all week about claiming on Side Splitter (with an apprentice) to reduce the weight but Mark really wanted to ride him and he did a great job,” said Ms Purcell.
“He rides the horse in track work and knows him well. He proved just how well with that ride.”
Welsh was even more complimentary in his post-race assessment.
“I put Very Fast’s win down to the ride, it’s as simple as that. Sparrow rode him exactly as I told him,” he said.
“He’s a horse that likes to dictate and when he’s out in front like that he’s always hard to run down. Mark’s a great rider.”
The ever-smiling Flaherty, who did not have a ride in the main race, was thrilled with both wins on either side of the Cup.
“It took me a while to get relaxed on Side Splitter,” he said.
“My first three rides on him were seconds and he’s honest. I actually had to do a bit of work to stay on him because (the stable) wanted to claim but I’m glad they stuck with me.
“It was the first time I’ve ridden Very Fast and he gave me a good feel. Jules put the blinkers on him for this race and when I pressed the button they weren’t catching us today.”
Ms Purcell said that Side Splitter’s victory was a real tonic for the stable, given her husband and co-trainer Bruce had been ill for several weeks.
She added that winning the race named after the doyen of Pakenham racing, David Bourke was also a tremendous thrill.
“We ran third in it a couple of years ago and it’s a great honour to win the David Bourke Memorial. He was a very good friend of my father’s (Charles Thompson) and he did a lot for me in my early days of training,” she said.
Welsh finished the day with double after Peter Mertens booted Mightyblitz home in the final race, sealing a great day for the popular horseman.
“I was rapt to win a race on cup day at my local track, but to win two is just sensational,” he said.
“I think Mightyblitz is probably the best horse in my stable but he’s had some real problems with his back. We got that right today.”
The Pakenham Cup program kicked off well for punters with three of the first four favourites saluting in the maiden events before Tony Noonan’s underrated sprinter The Penski File charged home to win the $25,000 Bate Architecture Handicap over 1000 metres at the juicy price of $11 on the TAB.
Despite a power black-out at the track before the first race, forcing the meeting to be put back half an hour, Pakenham racing manager Michael Hodge was happy with the day’s events and said that the crowd had been well behaved.