High-profile trio John Singleton, Gerry Harvey and Ray Hadley join forces with Golden Eagle favourite Hawaii Five Oh
While enjoying a Paul McCartney concert last week, longtime friends John Singleton and Gerry Harvey were still plotting how to win the $10m Golden Eagle.
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John Singleton and Gerry Harvey were giving their jockey Nash Rawiller Golden Eagle riding instructions in between singing along to The Beatles’ classics Hey Jude and Let It Be.
The trio were at the Paul McCartney concert in Sydney last weekend but their thoughts were never far from racing.
Long-time friends and successful businessmen, Singleton and Harvey, along with 2GB’s top-rating morning show presenter Ray Hadley own the brilliant Hawaii Five Oh, Rawiller’s ride in the $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
“We enjoyed Paul McCartney but poor Nash, he copped it – I think Gerry ran through the race 23 times how he wants the horse ridden,’’ Singleton said.
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“Then I chimed in and gave our jockey some ‘expert’ advice, too. I don’t know if Nash was even listening.
“Nash will end up doing what he wants in the race – I don’t think he needs advice from us!”
Hawaii Five Oh has drawn ideally in barrier four and is now challenging Amelia’s Jewel for favouritism in the nation’s second richest race.
McCartney’s hit, “With A Little Help From My Friends”, could almost describe Singleton and Harvey’s relationship.
They have been business colleagues and friends for more than five decades but Hawaii Five Oh is the best horse they have raced together since champions Gypsy Kingdom and Best Western more than 40 years ago.
“Gypsy Kingdom had just been retired to stud then Gerry bought Best Western and I had some shares in the horse,’’ Singleton said.
“Hawaii Five Oh would be the best horse we have had since Best Western but we didn’t race horses together for many years.
“Because we both think we know everything we decided we couldn’t keep racing horses together so we went our own ways.
“Gerry didn’t want to know about Strawberry Road at the time so he did his own thing and I did my own thing.’’
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Singleton and Harvey joined forces again with Libertini, the very talented sprinter who won five races, nearly $2 million prizemoney and contested two The Everests.
Then, three years ago Singleton was visiting Harvey’s Hunter Valley breeding property when a yearling roaming the paddocks caught his eye.
Harvey said the colt, by I Am Invincible out of Aloha, was not for sale but Singleton persisted and asked how much for the colt.
“It will cost you $1 million for a 50 per cent share,’’ Harvey replied.
Singleton said “deal” and it was only then that Harvey revealed the colt was in fact Libertini’s full-brother.
Hawaii Five Oh has grown into a monstrous horse and is the $4.20 equal favourite with Amelia’s Jewel for the Golden Eagle.
“He’s was always been a decent size but now he is a bloody giant,’’ Harvey said.
“When you talk to trainers and ask them if they remember training one that is 610kg, they start scratching their head and most say they haven’t.
“But Libertini was a big horse, so is De An Andretti. Their dam, Aloha, throws big horses but everything out of that mare can gallop.’’
Hadley has been friends with Singleton and Harvey for many years and often interviews both men on radio.
It was during one of those interviews which led to Hadley being “gifted” a share in Hawaii Five Oh.
“This all came about with Gerry bagging me on air that I once celebrated the fact I won an Ipswich maiden – he said it was my biggest win,’’ Hadley said.
“Then he said let’s give Hadley a share in this horse and it’s been great fun but we don’t stop bagging each other.
“Recently I had one runner all week and it won a maiden at Grafton. I noticed on one particular raceday that week Gerry had 30-40 runners across the country and he had one winner at Avoca.
“I said to him I didn’t know there was a racetrack at Avoca on the Central Coast but he came back and said ‘it’s in Victoria you idiot’.’’
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Hadley wasn’t about to let Harvey have the last say: “You know, Gerry sells more computers than any other person on this planet but he gets all his information from his trainers by fax on raceday.
“He obviously still has a fax machine and it must be a prerequisite with his trainers if they don’t have a fax machine they don’t get his horses!”
Harvey said racing Hawaii Five Oh with Singleton and Hadley is “more interesting” than being a sole owner.
“It’s enjoyable when you are racing with your mates,’’ Harvey said.
“There is a bit of banter between us, but it’s all in good fun.’’
McCartney’s timeless tune, “Yesterday”, comes to mind as Singleton revealed he has been friends with Harvey for nearly 60 years and enjoys telling stories about their younger, wilder days.
Like the time when Singleton and Harvey were in their early 20s, tagging along with Aussie tennis legend Lew Hoad and rugby league immortal Johnny Raper, frequenting the illegal gambling clubs that were a part of Sydney night-life in that bygone era.
“In those days we all had long blond hair except Gerry, he was starting to lose his hair. Gerry will hate me for telling you this but he was one of the first in Australia to get a hair transplant,’’ Singleton once told me.
“Gerry only had one go at it because the back of his head was bleeding and he had a big bandage over it. He never went back for the second treatment.
“But who do you think got the most girls? Lew Hoad got the gold, Johnny Raper the silver and Gerry and I had this massive battle for bronze.’’
Harvey has heard all of Singleton’s stories – probably too many times to count – and doesn’t bother fact-checking anymore.
But it was Harvey that first got Singleton in the thoroughbred industry many years ago.
“I had a retail business and ‘Singo’ had an advertising agency that was doing some work for me – he did the advertising and I sold the fridges,’’ Harvey said.
“Then one day I asked him to come out to the Inglis Sales with me. I put Singo into racing.’’
Singleton’s first foray into racehorse ownership was memorable because it provided him with a stark example of Harvey’s persuasive powers.
“I went to get two pies and two beers,’’ Singleton said.
“When I came back Gerry said he had bought a filly for us. It was too late to say no!’’
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Singleton and Harvey even share the same set of racing colours, a unique arrangement that exists even when both men have raced horses on their own.
“When we first started we had horses with Bart Cummings and then we had horses with Theo Green,’’ Singleton said.
“One day, Theo asked us both to come down to the stables as he wanted to give us something.
“He had a set of colours with him, the royal blue and white crossed sashes, and said I want you to have these colours.
“So, we both own them but I save Gerry some money because I pay the bill to keep the colours every year.’’
Hadley was a former racecaller in his youth and still remembers the first Sydney Saturday race he broadcast on-air – it was at Rosehill in 1984 when an apprentice called Darren Beadman won on Street Café, trained by Theo Green.
But it wasn’t until some years later when Hadley purchased his first horse a yearling out of the Magic Millions that he called Pitch White.
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“I had a mate who used to stuff up expressions and instead of saying ‘pitch black’ he would say ‘pitch white’ so that’s how I named the horse,’’ Hadley said.
“We took it to Ipswich and won its first start at 16-1. I was still betting in those days and I thought how long has this been going on!
“Mind you, it didn’t win many more races. I used to buy slow ones, now I breed slow ones but with Hawaii Five Oh, we have a good one.’’
Hawaii Five Oh, trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, has won three races (and five placings) from 11 starts, earning more than $1.7 million prizemoney.
If the four-year-old can win the Golden Eagle, his value as a commercial stallion prospect will soar to around $50 million.
“There’s a problem when you have a partner as wealthy as Gerry and he says he’s not going to sell the horse,’’ Singleton said.
“I said to Gerry because we are such good mates, I will sell my half to you for $25 million but that didn’t work.’’
Singleton said Hawaii Five Oh’s run in The Everest was “fantastic” and he hopes luck will finally side with his giant sprinter.
“He hasn’t been far away in his last couple of starts even though things have gone wrong for him,’’ Singleton said.
“You get those times when you think will our luck ever change? Then are times when you think how can we have this much luck? It’s the ebb and flow of life.’’
Harvey has heard all the “experts” suggest Hawaii Five Oh will be better suited getting to 1500m after his recent two runs when a close second in the Premiere Stakes and sixth in The Everest, both won by Think About It.
“Everyone is saying this horse will be better over further but mind you, I don’t know how ‘they’ know,’’ Harvey said.
“I think that run in the Premiere when he would have beaten that good horse in another stride, how can you say he’s not a 1200m horse, he nearly beat the best horse in the country.
“You have to say he is definitely a 1200m horse but is he better at 1400m or 1600m that is the question. We will know more after Saturday.’’
Hadley agrees Hawaii Five Oh should have been placed in The Everest and is looking forward to the Golden Eagle with a sense of anticipation.
“If he can suit in behind them one off the fence I think he can finish over the top of them,’’ Hadley said.
“But I do genuinely hope the horse runs well for Gerry and Singo. They have been mates for so long it’s great they can have a good horse again.’’
As McCartney’s concert drew to a close last weekend and he belted out a signature song, “The Long And Winding Road”, both Singleton and Harvey could be been excused for feeling a little nostalgic as they reflected on their enduring friendship – before starting another robust debate about Golden Eagle riding tactics again.
Originally published as High-profile trio John Singleton, Gerry Harvey and Ray Hadley join forces with Golden Eagle favourite Hawaii Five Oh
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