Perthville’s Chris Frisby is headed to the bright lights of Menangle Park on Saturday with one fairly decent crack at an appearance in a final and one most punters would normally consider a long shot.
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It’s a long, long shot, to be fair.
But if Captain Cosmonaut has taught Frisby anything. it’s that the three-year-old brown colt can perform the seemingly impossibly.
Despite Major Occasion being his best shot in the NSW Oaks, Frisby has a quiet eye on the NSW Derby with Captain Cosmonaut after the then two-year-old bolted to victory in the NSW Breeders Challenge two-year-old colts and geldings semi-final at Menangle as a $126 outsider last year.
Champion driver Amanda Turnbull was in the sulky that day, leading Frisby to label The Lagoon driver as the best exponent of her profession nation wide.
Turnbull won’t have the job on Saturday, she has been handed a three-month suspension after pleading guilty to presenting Taihape Sunset to race when not free of a prohibited substance, but Frisby was very interested to see what his son Anthony and Captain Cosmonaut can produce on Saturday night.
Suddenly that second shot doesn’t seem so long.
“I was heading down for the Oaks with Major Occasion and thought ‘why not’, I’ll bring Captain Cosmonaut with me,” Frisby said.
“He’s a nice little horse, he’s going okay, but this will probably be too good for him.
“He’s won won down there not long ago, at 130-1 or something like that. If he can get another nice, easy run he’s a chance.
“He’s drawn not too bad, drawn four, might even come out of three with an emergency coming in. He’ll be going to the fence to find the easiest run possible.”
The heats for both the NSW Oaks, which is run over 2400 metres for three-year-old fillies, are worth $20,000 on Saturday night.
The same value is on offer for the NSW Derby heats, run for three-year-old colts and geldings over the same distance as the Oaks.
But both finals then rocket to $200,000 in next Saturday’s meeting, on February 24.
Frisby said as intriguing as it’ll be to see how Captain Cosmonaut performs in his heat, he’s far more confident about what he’ll get out of Major Occasion.
“She’s our best hope, she’s a really nice filly,” Frisby said.
“Last run was a bit ordinary. She had a bit of a virus, as did Captain Cosmonaut, really, but they’re over that now and going well.”
Major Occasion has drawn well in the four barrier for Saturday’s heat, which is the Mount Franklin NSW Oaks Heat One.
Tellingly, Frisby’s filly will jump alongside favourite, Nostra Villa – a brown filly that’s predicted to bully her way to the front.
Nostra Villa has only been beaten once to the line in 10 starts and Frisby says being draw next to Emma Stewart’s star could aid Major Occasion.
“There’s some really nice horses there,” Frisby said. “(Major Occasion) got a second down there a couple of weeks ago.”
Captain Cosmonaut will begin Frisby’s run at Menangle at 6.48pm with the Jim Beam White NSW Derby Heat One.
Major Occasion jumps at 9.45pm.
Nick McGrath
Editor, Central Western Daily
Editor, Central Western Daily
