By David Nagel
Julien Welsh is one of the most respected people in horse racing and a man who has broken in 36 group-one winners for some of the biggest trainers in the country.
Current-day Pakenham trainers Peter Moody and Phillip Stokes are just two of the big names to have benefited from the time, skill and patience that Welsh invests into more than 350 yearlings that pass through his horse-breaking business each season.
Welsh was a familiar face at the old Pakenham track on Racecourse Road for many a long year, and has continued his local presence from his property in Nar Nar Goon.
But as well as being a great educator for others, Welsh also finds the time to train a small team of his own, with his stable star Don’t Doubt Dory taking out the $130,000 Open Handicap (1600m) at The Valley on Saturday.
The five-year-old gelding, out of 2013 Melbourne Cup winner Fiorente, gave Welsh one of his biggest thrills in racing on May 22 this year, giving the popular local his first winner on the famous track at Flemington.
Don’t Doubt Dory was then spelled after pulling up with an illness after that 1800-metre run at headquarters.
“He had a bit of a virus after his win at Flemington, and it wasn’t really my idea to give him this spring, we had to put him out, and he came back at the right time,” Welsh told Racing.com after Saturday’s impressive win.
“I don’t know where he really sits at the moment.
“I know that he wants a bit more ground than a mile, so there might be a nice little race over 2000, 2400 over the spring for him, but we don’t know which one yet.”
Welsh praised the ride of jockey Carleen Hefel, who pierced a needle-eye opening down the short Valley straight to give the daughter of Doubt No More who second city win on the trot.
“That was an unbelievable ride, she didn’t move off the fence, showed the patience of a senior jockey and used the weight advantage to her advantage, so congratulations to Carleen on a fantastic ride,” Welsh said.
Hefel and Don’t Doubt Dory have struck up quite the partnership, with the pair coming out on top in a tight finish for the second time in two starts.
Hefel followed the lead of champion jockey Damien Oliver, who weaved a similar passage on Superstorm in the previous race to take out the Group-2 Feehan Stakes (1600m).
Hefel found the fence easily early in the race, then travelled with the gun run, third and fourth on the rail, before Craig Newitt slipped slightly off the fence on race leader Toryjoy.
Hefel and Don’t Doubt Dory didn’t require a second invitation to pounce.
“If Damien (Oliver) can get up on the fence then I can too,” Hefel said with a grin.
“He’s just such a tough horse, anything you give him to do he shows that he can do it, he’s sweet on the run and when that small gap appeared, he was there to give his best.”
Don’t Doubt Dory has now won six of 13 starts and accrued more than $270,000 in prizemoney.
Pakenham trainer Nick Harnett might have a good one on his hands after his three-year-old filly Morning Melody remained undefeated with an impressive win in the $35,000 BenchMark 64 Handicap (1200m) at Cranbourne on Thursday.
Morning Melody made it two wins from two starts after winning her maiden impressively at Pakenham on August 3.
The three-year-old daughter of Spill The Beans/Holly Bee, led early, was crossed by Write Enuff, but peeled out rounding the turn, hitting the front, before holding off a game rails challenge from Dean Holland on Rinnova to win by a half-length on the line.
Harnett said it was a big effort from Morning Melody to win in 64 company after jumping from a maiden win on debut.
“She’s very tough and still very green, she got to the front and had a good look around,” Harnett said.
“I think she was quite impressive. It’s very hard to jump to older horses, when you’re a three-year-old filly, so it was a good effort, a really good effort.”
Damien Oliver, who has ridden the filly at her only two starts, was also impressed with the performance.
“She’s coming along nicely,” Oliver said.
“I picked her up as a pick-up ride the other day, and she came on from that run today.
“I was saying to Nick before the race that it’s not easy for the three-year olds, against the older horses, at this time of year in any class, so she’s a nice filly.”
Oliver said Morning Melody could be competitive in a higher grade this spring.
“I think she can be city class, it’s just this time of year you can be a maiden and then stakes class, there’s not a lot in between,” he said.
“If he (Harnett) can just find a nice race, without being stakes class, in a three-year-old fillies race in town, I think she’d measure up well.”
And Phillip Stokes rounded out a solid week for Pakenham-based trainers when his three-year-old gelding Red Hot Nicc scored a nail-biting victory in the $35,000 Maiden Plate (1212m) at Geelong on Sunday.
The son of Nicconi/Glorious Red raced on pace, hitting the front on the turn before fighting off Semilla in a red-hot go to the line, surviving a photo by a nose..
Jockey Ben Allen said it was great to get a win on the board at his fourth attempt on the gelding, with racing on speed making all the difference.
“We went in to his last few races with those intentions but he’s a horse who still does a lot wrong…this is my fourth go on him now so it was nice to finally get it right,” Allen said.
“It was tight, but I was quietly confident I got the bob, but I wasn’t 100 per cent sure.
“He was probably running a little on empty over the last 50 but he really dug deep and he was tough late.”
Red Hot Nicc broke his maiden status at the fourth start of his career.
