Denis Pagan is the toast of Australian sport just months into his horse training career, with the AFL coaching legend claiming his first Group 1 victory in a VRC Derby boilover.
Denis Pagan is the toast of Australian sport after the dual AFL premiership coach scripted an improbable racing fairytale by winning the $2 million Victoria Derby with Johnny Get Angry on Saturday.
In his first year as a trainer, the 1996 and ’99 North Melbourne premiership mentor dissolved in tears of joy after Lachlan King guided the $21 outsider to victory over Hit The Shot and favourite Young Werther at Flemington.
Named after a 1962 Joanie Somers hit song, Johnny Get Angry was only the 12th runner Pagan, 73, has saddled in a race since being licensed in July and only his second winner as a trainer.
It was Johnny Get Angry’s maiden win at its seventh start.
Pagan also owns the gelding who earned $1.2 million — and a place in racing history — with one of the most memorable Group 1 victories.
“When you win a premiership, you think there’s nothing better,” Pagan said.
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“When you win a Group 1 Victoria Derby, there’s nothing better.
“I can’t split them. I’m on top of the moon.“I’ve never been emotional. I was potting (renowned trainer) Chris Waller for sooking up, how am I going?
“It’s just something special. I never thought in a million years that this would happen and he’s (Johnny Get Angry) done it.
“You can dream about it. I’ve been thinking about it for the last two months, thinking about getting him here. I just wanted to get him into the Derby.
“It’s that exciting.“Having been involved in elite level football, I just wanted to enjoy the week.
“I was zombie-like in AFL Grand Final week. To think of all the Grand Finals I’ve been involved in.
“Yesterday I had lunch, too much to drink and I was just going to enjoy the moment.
“I thought he was half a chance, but I was worried about the pace of the race. It was slowly run and I thought something like Cherry Tortoni was going to go whoosh. But it wasn’t to be.”
Pagan combined with apprentice King in a triumph Hollywood scriptwriters would struggle to contrive.
King’s father, Melbourne Cup-winning Steven King, rode two Victoria Derby winners — Star Of The Realm in 1991 and Helenus in 2002.
Pagan revealed he had been under pressure to dump the young jockey for a more experienced rider.
“Everyone was telling me I should be using a senior jockey,” Pagan said.
“But loyalty plays a big part in my vocabulary. Lachie has been loyal to me.
“It’s happened a lot in footy, sticking with young blokes, and I’m so glad I did.”
King, 21, had never won a Group 1 until the Derby.“We thought we could win today. Just whether we could pull it off,” King said.
“Just everything went to plan, it was a fairytale.
“I really have to thank Denis. He’s been the best thing to happen in my career. I just can’t believe it.”
German trainer Andreas Wohler grabbed the last place into the Melbourne Cup with Ashrun’s narrow victory in the Group 3 Hotham Stakes (2500m).
Wohler, the only international trainer to make the trip to Australia for the carnival, spent 14 days in quarantine in Sydney before he drove to Melbourne for Saturday’s race.
The Hotham Stakes offered guaranteed entry into the Cup for Ashrun, whose win displaced Ireland’s True Self from Tuesday’s great race.Victoria Derby Day had never seen anything like Saturday’s desolation.
Flemington’s expansive lawns were all but abandoned apart from a handful of photographers and police officers.The grand old course’s 16,000 roses stood silent sentinel to COVID-19’s insidious impact.
More than 80,000 spectators attended last year’s Derby meeting. On Saturday, there was none.
PAGAN: KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF MY HORSE
By Glenn McFarlane
Dual AFL premiership coach turned Group 1 winning trainer Denis Pagan knocked back a lucrative offer in July for his Victoria Derby winner Johnny Get Angry from one of the state's leading trainers.
The Sunday Herald Sun can reveal the high-profile trainer contacted Pagan after the gelded son of Tavistock ran consecutive placings at Flemington three months ago.
The offer valued Johnny Get Angry at $1 million, with one proposal being that Pagan would receive $500,000 for 50 per cent of the horse so long as the leading trainer took control.
But Pagan, who turned 73 last month, backed his judgment that the horse he owns outright could cause a boilover in the three-year-old Group 1 classic, which he did at Flemington on Saturday, reducing the first-year trainer to tears.
It was a prudent decision to reject the offer, given the Derby proved to be a massive pay day for Pagan and his family.
He bought the horse for $50,000 at the New Zealand Sales, with some help from his good friend Troy Corstens from Malua Racing.
And yesterday's Victoria Derby's first prize cheque for Johnny Get Angry - whom Pagan named after a hit song by Joanie Somers from 1962 and who was his first runner as a trainer in early July - was a whooping $1.2 million.
That concludes our coverage of Derby Day where a two-time AFL premiership coach stole the show when Denis Pagan's Johnny Get Angry won the Victoria Derby. It was a cracking result on the opening day of Melbourne Cup Week.
Join us again on Tuesday when we bring you all the action from Melbourne Cup Day.
1. Fiesta
2. 13. Too Good Too Hard
3. Zaniah
1. Fiesta
2. 13. Too Good Too Hard
3. Zaniah
Jockey Koby Jennings' decision to run wide would have pleased trainer James Cummings.
1. Collett
2. Ice Bath
3. Dawn Passage
Collett has taken out the second running of the $7.5 million Golden Eagle with a stunning finish to run down Ice Bath. It was an intelligent ride by Koby Jennings to give Collett plenty of room and come down the middle of the heavy track.
1. Collett
2. Ice Bath
3. Dawn Passage
Collett has taken out the second running of the $7.5 million Golden Eagle with a stunning finish to run down Ice Bath. It was an intelligent ride by Koby Jennings to give Collett plenty of room and come down the middle of the heavy track.
Someone can smell blood in the water…. with $20,000 @ $8 on Alligator Blood in the Golden Eagle. Also one wager of $10,000 @ $5 on Funstar.
Someone can smell blood in the water…. with $20,000 @ $8 on Alligator Blood in the Golden Eagle. Also one wager of $10,000 @ $5 on Funstar.
Brad Waters' preview
Another straight race to finish Derby Day at Flemington. DIAMOND EFFORT (3) was scratched from last Friday night’s Manikato Stakes at The Valley after the track was upgraded. She’ll get a firm track at Flemington but she won’t be up against Group 1 opposition at Flemington. She can win the last. FIESTA (1) was wide throughout but too strong at Caulfield last time, expect her to be thereabouts. FITEUSE (8) went down narrowly at Caulfield but will be better for the outing. The only little query with her is whether the inside will be the place to be down the straight.
SUGGESTED BET: DIAMOND EFFORT to win.
TAB MARKET MOVER: Diamond Effort