Try calling a horse you sold when it beats one you own

Anthony Manton took race calling to a new level on Friday at Moruya – but there are no hard feelings about the horse he let go for $2000 notching its fourth win from its past seven starts

Felix Pereon wins at Moruya on Friday, beating Patriot Bloodstock’s Hurricane Thunder (red cap). Picture: Bradley Photos

You think it would be tough gig calling a horse you own? Try calling a race when a horse you sold beats the one you own.

That’s the predicament New South Wales racecaller Anthony Manton found himself in on Friday at Moruya.

Manton and his business partner Mitchell Lloyd own and operate Patriot Bloodstock, which specialises in buying and selling tried horses.

They purchased Felix Pereon in December 2022 and got two placings out of the gelding before they decided to move him on in September last year in an Inglis digital sale, in which he fetched $2000.

Step up Moruya trainer Greg Backhouse.

He purchased the five-year-old and on Friday, in his seventh start for the stable, he won his fourth race when storming home to score in a Benchmark 66 Handicap on his home track with Patriot Bloodstock’s Hurricane Thunder finishing a close third.

“I try call the race with a straight bat because at the end of the day no punters care if I do or don’t own a horse and my job is to be their eyes on a race,” Manton said.

“The punter at the pub he wants to know what wins and runs second or third.

“I reckon I’ve called Felix winning in three of his four wins since we sold him so I’ve had a bit of practice.”

Felix Pereon winning at Moruya on Friday, July 12. Credit: @SkyRacingAUpic.twitter.com/RmQrKhkXpJ

— Clinton Payne (@ClintonPayne) July 13, 2024

For Manton, there’s no sour grapes over the situation, he’d prefer to keep looking for the next horse that he and his owners can enjoy.

“Our business model is built on buying tried horses and trying to turn them around,” he said.

“It’s a tough market to be playing in and sometimes you get it right, sometimes you get it wrong.

“If you look at our record, more often than not we get it right.

“We’ve bought around 30 horses in the past three years and around 80 per cent of them have already won.”

Patriot Bloodstock’s success stories include Wilbury, the Big Dance-qualified Cream Rises, Well In Sight, Mr Metrics, Greek Tycoon and Morgenstern.

Anthony Manton was working at Randwick on Saturday. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

So how does Manton go about calling one of his own when they are fighting out the finish?

“The same rules apply whether we own one or sold one, the punters don’t care,” he said.

“I’ve been calling long enough now that you get used to calling your own horses.

“I used to get really nervous, but I’m pretty used to it.”

Back to Felix Pereon – post-race on Friday, the stable representative indicated the long-term target for the rising six-year-old was the Moruya Town Plate in January.

“Greg’s (Backhouse) a good guy and he’s laid up in hospital after having a hip replacement operation so Friday’s win would have given him a kick along,” Manton said.

“He’s a good man with a horse and does a good job with a small team.

“Felix Pereon, he’s nothing to look at. A tall horse that’s quite narrow, struggles to keep weight on, he’s done a great job with the horse.”

Originally published as Try calling a horse you sold when it beats one you own