Reg's Shout If Jamberoo Wins Today

Sydney Morning Herald

Saturday July 21, 2007

Chris Roots

A SUPERSTITIOUS Illawarra Turf Club committee member Reg Curnow believes Jamberoo has every chance of winning the Ellerston Capital Handicap at Rosehill today because he will be in Ballina and Melbourne-based part-owner Mark Slater will be in Sydney for the race.

"Jamberoo has had six wins and I have only been there twice, whereas Mark has only ever seen him win," Curnow said. "It's probably good that I stay away and let him win."

Melbourne and south coast interests each have a 50 per cent share in the five-year-old Rubiton stayer, and they reached a compromise on the naming of the horse.

"Mark wanted him to race in his colours, and I said OK, as long as we could name him," Curnow said. "I wanted to call him Fields of Jamberoo but one of the owners didn't like a long name, so it became Jamberoo.

"The whole town [of Jamberoo, just inland from Kiama] has got behind the horse, and it is always a good day for the TAB takings at the pub when he runs."

After his biggest win in the Summer Cup at Randwick in December, the Jamberoo Pub TAB was emptied.

The connections headed back to the pub to celebrate the triumph, with the party rivalling any grand final success of the local football team - the Superoos. "The party went for months, and the Summer Cup still sits in the bar," Curnow said. "I think everyone who was there that night had a drink from the Summer Cup.

"He had a very good record at 2000 metres before that, but that win at 2400m showed he could stay, and we are going to nominate him for the Melbourne Cup. He is a stayer, and we think it's worth a crack."

A cool afternoon at Rosehill in July is long way from a warm spring day at Flemington in November but Curnow is confident of success this afternoon despite a wide draw.

Jamberoo produced encouraging unplaced efforts over 1100m and 1400m before running second to Legendary Man over 1900m at Rosehill two weeks ago.

Nash Rawiller will ride Jamberoo, and he will have to be positive out of gate 14. "He is a very good horse out of the gate and I think he should get over, and if he does, he will be very hard to beat," Curnow said.

"It's his fourth run this time in and he gets to his favourite trip and he is still $13 in the papers."

© 2007 Sydney Morning Herald

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