Norman collects the prize for his mate

Veteran Queensland horseman Harold Norman has visited the winners’ circle on hundreds of occasions but admits Gold Horizon’s Doomben win gave him a special thrill.

Gold Horizon is trained by Norman’s long time mate, Kembla Grange’s Bede Murray, who has been battling cancer in recent months.

Norman saddled up Gold Horizon for Murray on Saturday and used the after race interview to send his friend a victory message.

“Bede and I have been mates since we were knee high,” Norman said.

“We started riding together. He was a Moruya boy and I was from Milton (both on the NSW south coast).

“The win will have given Bede a boost. He is battling along but he is all right.

“He has just come back out of hospital and has been watching the races on the telly.”

Murray’s horses have been in great form and he had a treble at Moruya last week including the Cup with O’Reillys Revenge.

He has been coming to Queensland and stabling his horses with Gold Coast-based Norman since 1984 when Hussar’s Command won the Doomben Cup.

Norman also celebrated a victory of his own on Saturday when Rainbow Lace won at the Gold Coast.

Meanwhile, trainer Craig Carmody took three decades to square the ledger with jockey Michael Cahill after Taltarni won at Doomben on Saturday.

“If I remember correctly when Craig won his first race as a jockey I finished second. I think it was at Canberra,” Cahill, who won on Taltarni, recalled.

It was Carmody’s first win in Brisbane but Taltarni’s owner John Cornish is having a great run.

“The last four runners I have had in Brisbane have all won,” Cornish, who is boss of Torryburn Stud, said.

 

Article from JustHorseRacing.com.au

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