‘Likes Jack Daniels and coke, beer is her favourite’: Meet Australian racing’s new first un-lady
She prefers Jack Daniels and beer, but it was champagne for racing’s new Queen of the Turf. “Nightmare” Doncaster champ Nettoyer is the most relatable racehorse in history. SEE THE PICTURES
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She likes a Jack Daniels and coke, but racing’s new Queen of the Turf, Nettoyer, celebrated her first Group 1 victory in style with pizza and champagne.
Described as a “nightmare’’ to train, Nettoyer produced a fairytale last-to-first sprint in the $1.5 million Doncaster Mile at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
Trainer Wendy Roche’s reward for Nettoyer was a Margherita pizza and some pink champagne for breakfast.
It seems Nettoyer’s unusual eating and drinking habits don’t end there, either. The mare likes chicken schnitzel sandwiches and doesn’t mind a beer, either.
But as talented as Nettoyer is on the racetrack, the mare has a mind of her own and is a real handful for Roche at the stables and trackwork.
“Nettoyer is one of the worst ‘temperamental females’ you could encounter in your life,’’ Roche said.
“It took us an hour and half last Wednesday just to catch her then ride her (trackwork). They nearly closed the track on us.
“That’s just her, she is not really a ‘lady’. She likes Jack Daniels and coke, beer is her favourite, but we are trying to turn her into a ‘Group 1 lady’ with pink champagne.’’
Nettoyer might have been a $41 bolter in the Doncaster but Roche had been confident in the days leading up to the big race and was not worried about the lack of focus on her mare.
“It’s pretty good being the ‘silent achiever’,’’ Roche said. “But I backed her at $126 earlier in the week.’’
Nettoyer was purchased by Roche’s partner, John Crowley, for just $20,000 at the 2015 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale five years ago. In a classic rags-to-riches story, the mare’s Doncaster win earned her owners just over $1 million prizemoney.
Roche revealed she will run racing’s new cult hero again next weekend in the Group 1 $500,000 Coolmore Legacy Stakes (1600m) on Day Two of The Championships at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
The Warwick Farm-based trainer said she changed Nettoyer’s autumn carnival plans to target the two 1600m Randwick mile races when the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of the Brisbane winter carnival.
“I changed her training to get her ready for the Doncaster and the Coolmore Legacy,’’ Roche said. “This mare has backed up extremely well before.
“Her form going into the Doncaster was very good. She had run fourth behind Addeybb and Verry Elleegant (Ranvet Stakes) at Rosehill.
“She ran fast sectionals and ‘Bossy’ didn’t punish her the last 150m so she could have run. To finish behind those two, she ran ‘exceptional’ which everyone has forgotten.
“In the Epsom last year, Kolding and Te Akau Shark only just beat her when the race wasn’t made out for her.
“I just thought the Doncaster suited her a lot better and thought she would run very well. Only today is it starting to sink in that she won the Doncaster.’’
Originally published as ‘Likes Jack Daniels and coke, beer is her favourite’: Meet Australian racing’s new first un-lady