By Craig Kerry
Murwillumbah trainer David McColm has resisted dwelling on a lost opportunity in the $1 million The Hunter (1300m) last year, when Far Too Easy was scratched on race eve.
McColm believes his tough, no-nonsense stable star would not have beaten runaway winner Coal Crusher anyway.
Craig Williams riding Far Too Easy to victory in the Kosciuszko at Randwick on October 19.Credit: Getty Images
This year, however, he’s confident the six-year-old has the form, and favourable conditions, to topple the Joe Pride-trained frontrunner and his other rivals on Saturday in Newcastle.
“On reflection, Coal Crusher was sensational out in front and I think probably our pattern of racing back then … [Far Too Easy] probably would have run second to him,” McColm said.
“But I think the horse is probably going better now than he was last year. He would have been very competitive last year, but this year I’m pretty confident, to be honest.
“Obviously in a race like the Hunter, you are meeting good horses. There’s a few that are well-credentialed, but I just feel that the weight we’ve got – he hasn’t had 56.5 kilos since he was a three-year-old, I think. He’s carried 59, 60, 61, so I just feel this is right up his alley.”
Far Too Easy was among the top hopes last year before an accident while using a water walker at Newcastle left him with a cut above his eye. It needed stitches and, more importantly, anaesthetic, which forced McColm to scratch.
A month later, Far Too Easy blitzed his opposition in the listed Lough Neagh at Eagle Farm, then was fourth from a wide gate in the Magic Millions Cup in January on the Gold Coast.
It’s been a rollercoaster ride since for McColm with the All Too Hard gelding, which survived a severe bout of colitis – an inflammation of the large intestine – and was off the scene for eight months.
He returned and gave McColm his biggest win, taking out the $2 million Kosciuszko (1200m) on October 19 at Randwick. The two-length victory took Far Too Easy – a $45,000 yearling buy for McColm – to $2,342,925 in prizemoney.
The Northern Rivers trainer said Far Too Easy has “been super since” and was ready to fire again on Saturday in the group 2 feature.
David McColm celebrates with Craig Williams after Far Too Easy’s Kosciuszko win.Credit: Getty Images
“It was an amazing result, and a very emotional result as well,” he said. “He’s a 105-rater and he’s gone up only one point since his win in the Kosi, which is really beneficial.
“I think weight-wise, he’s been very well looked after in this race. If we get a bit of rain, that’s only going to enhance him even more.
“Obviously winning the Kosi, it’s every country trainers’ pinnacle, so to win that is a dream, but, oh boy, it would be lovely to have a Hunter on my cabinet as well.
“I haven’t had a lot to do with Newcastle, but my wife Jude was born in Newcastle and is a Newcastle girl, so to go back and win it would be great.”
Queensland hoop Kyle Wilson-Taylor will partner Far Too Easy, which dropped to second favouritism at $4.20 (Sportsbet) after drawing gate 13 and with the rise of exciting Hawkes-trained prospect Briasa ($2.80) into the final field.
McColm had his fingers crossed for a trouble-free preparation into Saturday.
“He’s quiet,” McColm said. “Kyle rides him and says he could take this horse mustering. He’s just one of those horses. He walks out on the track and takes in what’s happening around him. He doesn’t get fidgety, he just stands there.
“But he can get cranky, he doesn’t like being brushed or touched too much. He’s pretty independent. But apart from that, he’s a dream.
“We’ve had the floods, we’ve had colitis, he’s banged his eye and had a couple of infections and skin irritations leading into races. But since he’s been sick and come back this time, we’ve had a pretty free run with him.
“When he was sick, there were three days when I thought he might not make it. My vet was reasonably confident, but we were worried that he had major swelling in his legs, under his chest, stomach and jaw, and all the protein had gone to the bottom area of the body.
“What happens is the pedal bone can do a rotation when that happens. He was in ice boots for five days constantly to try to keep the heat down to stop that from happening.
“I just thought that would happen to him, but he got through it and we’re away again.”
