Munce Tipped To Pass With Flying Colours

Sydney Morning Herald

Friday December 12, 2008

MAX PRESNELL

'In the boxes I felt a bit tentative when we lined up. As soon as those gates crashed open, you get those hooves in amongst the field . . . adrenalin, or whatever it is, goes through your body. You seem to belong there. That's what you missed most. That came back quickly, but as far as getting your timing right, pace, things like that, it takes a little while. Knowing the horses, the form."

So said Larry Olsen about his comeback ride, ahead of the return of Chris Munce on the Kensington track at Randwick on Friday.

Both were of similar vintage, 39-40, but had been absent for different reasons. Munce has been doing time, 20 months, for the slings-for-tips scandal in Hong Kong. Some jockeys lose their touch and are never quite the same but those at a similar stage of their careers to Munce can be invigorated. Being hungry helps, and serving a jail sentence, first in Hong Hong and then Silverwater, no doubt builds an appetite.

"For Chris, it's going to be a walk in the park," Olsen commented, describing Munce as having the physique of a "born jockey".

"He's in great shape. Seeing him on the television, [he] has obviously looked after himself inside."

Olsen, though, dropped out of riding because of increasing weight. "I went to 74 kilograms," he recalled, and he had a considerable beer gut, although he maintained it was more from Queensland mud crabs.

After three years he returned to riding and made 51kg. "There's a lot of difference from my frame to Chris's," Olsen said. "He's half my size. That's the penalty we [heavyweight jockeys] paid.

"They [the lightweights] never had to waste. All he's got to do, the fitness is there, is to settle down, get his timing right, get to know the horses, the form. It may take a few weeks.

"When I decided to ride work again I rang [Brisbane trainer] Patty Duff . I hadn't been on a horse for bloody three years. The morning I was there he put me up in a gallop. 'You'll be all right,' he said. Well, I survived.

"I had my first mount back for Patty at Gatton where I rode my first winner and [later] got disqualified for 12 months. I beat that one, too," Olsen added.

On his return, he was a much better jockey. His two feature wins - on Kensei in the 1987 Melbourne Cup and Star Watch (1988 Golden Slipper) - were the pearls of his career. Earlier on he tended towards slather and whack. Being big, he was strong despite the reducing. On his return he was better mentally, had beautiful hands and his judgment of pace was superb. Kensei and Star Watch won mainly because of the Olsen touch. He rode tough to the extent John Schreck, then the acting chief steward, told me that Olsen was riding too tight - "competitive but safe" - and should be more generous with his space. Nerve. That's why he had the Triple A rating when he should have been past the age of improvement.

"My mind was right," he insisted. "Previously I was sour. I wish I'd worked on my fitness earlier. I came back fit and focused and once I got back into the groove everything was under control. It's within yourself. Once you've got that it's a peaceful ride right through. When I was wasting I'd be sick, was smoking and nearly dead on the floor. I had the dry spews. But I gave up cigarettes . . .

"A little bloke like Chris has never missed a breakfast in his life. Just looking at the texture of his skin - he must have been eating the right stuff inside."

Apart from his fitness regime, brown rice received plenty of credit in Olsen's revitalisation . . . "When you are eating the right food you get that glow about you," he said. "Look at those tennis players, gymnasts, their skin stretches across the cheekbones, not pudgy, no jowls. Their eyes are usually clear."

Despite weight restrictions and injuries early in his career Olsen notched 24 group 1s, but Munce has quite a CV, too. Try 35 group 1s. Both began their careers in Queensland. Munce is more get-up-and-go whereas Olsen was calculating. Many figure Munce is too trigger-happy, often criticised for leading by too far, but he impressed me with his breathing theory; that is, to get mounts into their rhythm and breathing right.

These days Olsen is with Sky Channel, riding in the stands. "I had my 60th birthday with Singo in the middle of Africa, [Mount] Kilimanjaro, earlier this year. We got up to 6000 metres. Roy Masters was there, believe it or not.

"Only one out of 10 [of our group] didn't make it because he was badly shod. Wore cowboy boots. A lot of people don't get up there. It was a wonderful experience. Not a Melbourne Cup or a Golden Slipper but the satisfaction was immense."

Did he beat our Roy to the summit? In his riding days Olsen might have used a shoulder to win the race but he has mellowed. No doubt this time he offered more of a helping hand.

Facts are fine but money talks for hardened punters

SYDNEY trainers Gai Waterhouse and Peter Snowden had excellent figures released in the 2007-08 Australian Racing Fact Book. From 447 starters for the season Waterhouse had 107 winners and 131 placings while Snowden had more successes, 112, with 148 placings from 561.

David Hayes, who recently announced he would scale down his Lindsay Park operation, topped the winners' list with 243 but from a massive 1985 runners, more than a 1000 more than runner-up Lee Freedman (153). Victorian trainers Peter Moody (142), Mick Price (130), and Darren Weir (113) also led the Sydneysiders but with bigger representations. Being old-fashioned, I feel a better indication of a trainer's skill is how they fare "when the stable money goes on". Alas these figures aren't available in the Fact Book.

The leading jockey was Brad Rawiller (217 wins from 1164 rides), followed by Craig Newitt (144) and Dean Yendall (141). Perth's Paul Harvey had the best strike rate, about 25 per cent, with 115 from 465. Top Sydney-based rider was Blake Shinn with 112 from 696. Corey Brown only notched 107 from 748.

Max Presnell

© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald

Back to News Index | Back to Home