Springtime in Melbourne has always been Denis Pagan’s time to shine.
The legendary football coach turned horse trainer has celebrated AFL premierships and VRC Derby triumphs in the climactic months of Melbourne’s sporting season, and he’s hoping to be holding up more prized silverware this spring at Flemington.
Pagan is hoping that his Victoria Derby winner Johnny Get Angry (NZ) (Tavistock) can make it into this year’s Melbourne Cup, while he also hopes that unraced two-year-old Turn It Up Tommy (NZ) (Tivaci) can follow in his stablemate’s hoofprints in this year’s three-year-old staying test.
Turn It Up Tommy will make his debut at the races at Flemington on Saturday and has already had to overcome adversity in his career.
“His last prep, one Sunday I got a phone call, ‘You better come down here, it’s colic’,” Pagan recounts.
“My vet said ‘We’ve gotta get him to Werribee Vet Clinic’, and the doctor had to operate on him.
“Fortunately, they just operated on him, put his intestine back in order, untwisted it, sewed him up and it was ok, fingers crossed.
“(I’m) really pleased he’s got to the stage where he is, but he hasn’t made Saturday yet, there’s still a couple more sleeps, so just hanging in there and I hope he can.”
Sold as a yearling out of Waikato Stud’s 2020 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 draft, Turn It Up Tommy will kick off in the Rod Johnson Handicap, a 1420-metre race for two-year-olds with Lachie King booked for the ride.
“He’s done everything pretty well,” Pagan said.
“I hope he’s a staying type, his last jumpout was encouraging, (he) did ok, so we’ll just see what happens on Saturday.
“I don’t know what to expect, I’m just hoping and confident that he can put his best foot forward.”
Pagan also noted that both Turn It Up Tommy and Johnny Get Angry have similar pedigrees.
“They’re both out of Zabeel mares and both grandsons of Saddler’s Wells,” he said.
“Turn It Up Tommy is by Tivaci and Johnny Get Angry is by Tavistock. Tommy’s probably a little bit sharper I think than Johnny Get Angry, we’ve still got to find out if he can stick as well as Johnny Get Angry, so we’ll find out a bit more as we get further down the track.
“I’ve sort of followed the same program as I did with Johnny Get Angry. I don’t know if he’s good enough or whether he’ll stay as well, it’s all got to unfold. You get into this caper and all you do is hope.”
While Pagan wants to follow the same path to the Derby with Turn It Up Tommy that was so successful 12 months ago, he hasn’t thought of using the equipment that was part of the winning recipe.
“Probably haven’t thought of blinkers or anything for him yet, I just want to get over Saturday, hope he runs well, hope he finishes the race off, and then give him a couple more starts if possible, maybe up to a mile, then 1800,” he said.
“If I could get him to the Byerley (Handicap) at Flemington, I’d be over the moon, then I’d give him a bit of a let-up for a while, send him up to Troy’s (Corstens) farm … then bring him back down and really focus on things.
“There’s still a long way to go and I’ve got to be realistic about it, he may not get out of his own way, all he’s been doing now is dancing with your sister stuff, and then we start getting a little bit fair dinkum with him.”
The Derby isn’t the only race that Pagan is dreaming of this spring, as he’s hoping to have a runner in ‘the race that stops the nation’ with Johnny Get Angry.
The rising four-year-old hasn’t raced since his memorable win at Flemington last October.
“He’s going very well, fingers crossed, touchwood,” Pagan said.
“He’s up doing evens at the moment, he looks well in himself, he looks very well in condition, he’s probably heavier than he was in last time in, he looks a stronger horse, so we’re just keeping our fingers crossed there and just aiming for later on in the year.
“That’s the dream (the Melbourne Cup). Whether he’s good enough, that remains to be seen, it’s all very well winning the Derby against your own age group, going into open age, it’s a different kettle of fish. All you can do at this stage is hope that he comes up.
Should Johnny Get Angry complete the VRC Derby-Melbourne Cup double, he’d be the first to do so since Efficient in 2006-07.
“I don’t think he’s as good as him,” Pagan said when comparing his charge to Efficient.
“Anyway, you’ve got to be in it to win it. Let’s see if he can make the field first of all.”
