Inaugural Golden Eagle-winning jockey Glen Boss has opened up about the moment he nearly collapsed from sheer panic after he realised his three precious Melbourne Cups had sped off in the back of a taxi.
Boss, who is tipping Joliestar and Ascoli Piceno to fight out Saturday’s $10 million feature at Rosehill, said the last time he was in Sydney was one of the most agonising trips of his life.
The former champion jockey had forgotten to unpack his precious cargo from the back seat of a cab, and when calls to the driver, Gedy, went unanswered, he started to fear the worst.
“I flew to Sydney for a few speaking engagements, but missed my flight from the Gold Coast during Everest week, which meant I was late arriving at a function in the city,” Boss said.
“I arrived when I was due on stage to speak, so I rushed getting my bags off the back seat. I had three bags, but only two of them were grabbed.
“When I realised the third bag was the one carrying my three Melbourne Cups, I nearly fainted and vomited from panic.
Champion Glen Boss with the Sydney cabbie who returned his three Melbourne Cups.
“I had kept the receipt, so I immediately rang the taxi company, but was then on hold for about 40 minutes having to listen to that hold music the whole time.
“That’s when all the different scenarios started going through my head. After more than three hours, they tracked the cabbie down in Parramatta, and he came back with my cups.
“He said to me, ‘Mate, what’s in the bag?’ When I opened it, he knew straight away what they were. He couldn’t believe it.
“I was so relieved and kept telling the cabbie, ‘Mate, you’re the best’. We posed for some photos. He didn’t want any money at first, but I made sure I tipped him.”
Glen Boss after winning the Golden Eagle aboard Kolding in 2019.Credit: Getty
Boss said he had never come close to losing trophies in the past, and still enjoyed celebratory drinks from the cups when entertaining friends at his home on Mermaid Beach.
Boss won the first edition of the Golden Eagle aboard Kolding in 2019, and the hoop said there were only two horses he liked on Saturday.
“If the Japanese filly [Ascoli Piceno] turns up for [jockey] Joao Moreira, she’ll go close, and she’s way better than the Japanese horse [Obamburumai] who won it last year,” Boss said.
“Chris Waller’s mare [Joliestar] ran unbelievably well in the Everest. She has to be the best of the locals. She didn’t just hit the line, she went through the line. Sometimes when horses are beaten for speed early, they don’t finish off well because they are off the bit. But Joliestar ripped through the line.”
As for next Tuesday’s Cup, Boss said the depth was a concern, and “if Buckeroo is the best of the locals, the internationals should be winning”.
“If I was riding, I’d like to be on Vauban,” he said. “I think [trainer] Willie Mullins may have got his preparation wrong last year, and he’ll be better this time. Willie is a smart man.”
