You reckon horse racing is all about winning?
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Not a chance.
There is nothing more important than the relationship between a trainer and her horse - and this was plain for all to see at Saturday's meeting at the Parkes Jockey Club.
Racing felt almost inconsequential for prominent Parkes racing family the Jeffries, with an unbelievable win to one runner outweighed by a tragic outcome from the race prior.
Stable favourite 'Big Marn', who races as Club Supreme, broke down in the fourth race, throwing Jack Martin to the ground - and unfortunately the well-loved gelding could not be saved.
Martin was taken to hospital for observation, but luckily escaped with only minor injuries.
The air completely deflated from the course as devastated trainer Sharon Jeffries looked on - but the racing rollercoaster was only just getting started.
In the following race, the Telescope Tyres and Batteries BM58, Jeffries' gelding Nitty Gritty ($61) grew wings and flew home down the outside to defeat favourite Choosday Nights ($2.60) by a head, with daughter Tiffany Prout aboard.
It was a sterling and confident ride by Prout, (who still races under her maiden name Jeffries) who made a mockery of the huge price - which was $81 fixed at TAB.com.au.
Barrier 8 saw Prout settle on the fence in the back half of the field 13 lengths off the leader, but as the 400m mark drew near, Prout slid to the outside and put in a phenomal finish to reel in Choosday Nights in the shadows of the post, with Merdeka ($21) finishing a further neck back in third.
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A typically-affable Prout said she wasn't concerned in the slightest during the race.
"He gets back on you, he's a natural backmaker who gets over the ground well and there wasn't a lot of speed in the race, so dropping him back to the mile at the home track we hoped that would help him finish off the race a bit better," she said after the race.
"I was travelling really good where I was, and then once we straightened, I was able to push out and get to the outside - and then he really let down.
"I didn't really even need to hit him, he was pulling away easy and still going when we passed the post," said Prout.
One of the most effervescent and bubbly riders in the jockey room, Prout had a smile on her face after the race - but behind the smile was a big sense of grief for the loss of one of the stable's favourite horses.
"It was a little bit of a bit of cheer-up to an absolutely terrible situation," she said.
"We love him, we just love 'Big Marn'."
Jeffries, who looked to be in a complete state of shock, could barely comprehend Nitty Gritty's win.
"At the moment, I don't even know what I'm feeling," she said.
"You go from absolutely devastated to happy at the win - and I'm in a haze at the moment if I'm honest," she said.
"I saw him bludging out the back, so I was yakking away to people and then I looked around and thought, is that my horse that just went past? I'd given up on him!" said Jeffries.
Something to smile about for the stable, but unfortunately the win won't bring back the stable favourite.
So just remember next time you watch the thoroughbreds cruise around the track, remember these horses aren't just racers - they are family.
Rest in Peace, Big Marn.
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