Happy Sponsor Has The Last Word

Sydney Morning Herald

Tuesday April 25, 2000

CRAIG YOUNG

Big Jack Ingham stuck out the claw that has ended the life of a million chickens and shook the sponsor's hand. The setting was the winner's enclosure after the third at Randwick yesterday.

``You did well, you've beat the cerise," Ingham said.

``It doesn't happen often enough," was the snappy reply from Eduardo Cojuangco.

Some would say it was a multimillionaire partaking in racetrack banter with a Philippines-based billionaire, but the offering was heartfelt.

And why wouldn't it be? Cojuangco is the man responsible for last Saturday's Doncaster-Derby day assuming the mantle of the richest day's racing in the Southern Hemisphere.

While Mr Jack, along with brother Mr Bob, are known as the chicken kings, Cojuangco is the man behind one of the Philippines' corporate giants, San Miguel.

San Miguel has pumped some $35million into the coffers of the Australian Jockey Club in a five-year deal which resulted in last Saturday's Doncaster-Derby day meeting offering prizemoney of $8million. Cojuangco came up empty on Saturday, not so the Inghams.

Armed with the biggest team of horses in the country, the Inghams left Randwick with more than $2million in prizemoney the majority coming from Over's Doncaster win. Commands was well rewarded for running second in the Galaxy.

All races on the day were sponsored by San Miguel. The Doncaster, worth $2.5million, is the richest 1,600m race in the world. The Galaxy was worth $1million. Being an AJC committeeman, Mr Jack might have been offering thanks for the handout, but he was just being his usual gracious self in defeat.

Cojuangco had just watched Clonmel win the Qantas Fernhill Handicap when the claw parted the gathered throng. Clonmel had just held off the Ingham cerise carried by Vampire.

Cojuangco was well pleased. No doubt he knows the Fernhill is a race for juveniles that has a rich history of producing top-line thoroughbreds. He is deserving of another one.

Clonmel carried Cojuangco's distinctive colours of red with black stripes, which some 40 minutes earlier had adorned jockey Daniel Beasley as he piloted Actress to victory in the Keith Mackay Quality.

A winning double for Saturday's sponsor, but it wasn't over yet. After a similar break the Cojuangco team was back in the winner's enclosure after Valuate dashed out of a pocket to score a smart win in the Iberia Carbine Club Stakes.

Shane Dye immediately declared Valuate a ``Group1 horse in the making". Gai Waterhouse, who prepared all three of Cojuangco's winners, said Valuate was off to Queensland for the Guineas. Clonmel and Actress were declared Champagne Stakes runners.

Cojuangco modestly confirmed it was his first treble of the winning kind. Unbelievable when you consider the Inghams have had hundreds. Even more surprising when Cojuangco revealed he raced his first horse in Australia 41 years ago.

He is not kidding when he says he has a passion for Australia, for its people and the tradition that continues to enrich racing. Cojuangco is ``very pleased" with the AJC involvement.

But that's business. Yesterday was more a day of happiness. A day for pursuing dreams.

``We trying to win big, if we don't persevere it won't come," Cojuangco said. ``I enjoy Australia first time I come in 1959, this is my second country, my family, my grandchildren they also love it.

``I have 13 grandchildren, I hope they stop ... in '59 I buy a few horses, we were looking for a few head of cattle."

Nobody was sure about the cattle but Cojuangco has been a racer of horses ever since. He reckons the best was Thousand Guineas winner Kapalaran, which was prepared by Neville Begg who also prepared Sandy's Pleasure to win the 1987 VRC Oaks for the sponsor. She wasn't bad either.

Nowadays, Cojuangco's horse stocks number 250. They are spread down the east coast of Australia. They are made up of weanlings, yearlings, two-year-olds, etc.

He has about 80 broodmares, with the majority housed at his picturesque Gooree Stud at Mudgee.

Cojuangco's investment in Australian racing cannot be tallied. Yesterday he won $149,600 in prizemoney. A far cry from the $2million-odd the Inghams picked up on Saturday for winning only one race.

Yesterday Eduardo Cojuangco landed a treble. It was his first. And he was happy.