After a trying week for Echuca-based trainers Michael Cornish and Donna Gaskin, wins don’t come much more special than that of The Talking Toff in Race 8 on Bendigo Cup Day on Wednesday.
The couple has been dealing with the flooding crisis devastating their local town and they tragically lost Donna’s father Norm overnight.
“Norm was very big with us and our stable,” Cornish said after the emotional win.
“The owners rang us up today and said, ‘Look we understand if we scratch it’, and we said, ‘If we scratch this horse today Norm would be absolutely livid’, that’s the type of person he was.
“He’s still with us now, I said when I legged Neil (Farley) up, I said, ‘Norm’s riding with you today mate and he’ll help you steer it’.”
The Talking Toff was rated a $13 outside chance in the field of eight runners but stormed over the top of his rivals to deliver an extremely special victory.
“He’s a tricky horse, but I think today with Normie’s help we got him home,” Cornish said.
“He was always a part of Bendigo and the racecourse, he was our accountant, our instructor in life one would say, he let us know when we made a bad mistake that’s for sure. It’s a credit to him where we are now.”
The impressive last-stride victory also delivered a much-needed tonic to some of the horse’s owners, who are also dealing with their own difficult circumstances.
“We lease a farm and it’s gone underwater … I’ve seen some owners today and their faces, one of the owner’s house is going under today and to see them being evacuated … it’s a hard pill to swallow for us,” Cornish said.
