THE FORECAST: THE GUESSING GAME

THE FORECAST: PHAAAAAAR OUT

Way back when I was in Year 11, I knew a girl named Nicole who was someone connected to a horse called Pharein.

I can’t exactly remember how Nicole was connected to Pharein, might have been through her boyfriend’s family or something like that, but I do remember that Nicole was extremely hot and that the horse was extremely fast.

We’re talking 1999, picture a young goofy looking Shark, in love with horse racing – a sport that no 16yo really gave two hoots about, just waiting for someone my age to talk horses with. Along comes old love Nicole with her two hoots and a yarn about a filly trained by David Hall.

“You like racing don’t you Shark? There’s this horse called Pharein, it goes pretty good,” she says.

Understatement of the century Nic. Pharein won five of her first six runs including the Group 1 Salinger on Derby Day, then the Group 2 Emirates Sprint on Stakes day. Fast forward to 5.11 of the link below to watch the Salinger – and how bloody good is the funky jazz music prelude by the way?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iki-Peyw-xU

If only I was that slick I might have pulled Nicole as well as pull the cash from the bookies with Pharein. Can confirm I got 6/1 in the Salinger. I wagged school with Nicole and went to Flemington to watch the Emirates Sprint and got 5/4 on. Got the cash again, did not get Nicole.

Fast forward 25 years and another Phar-kin good horse runs down the Flemington straight, this time it’s PHARARI in Saturday’s Creswick Stakes.

You’d want to be fast if you’re named after the most famous car in the world (damn they are a sexy set of wheels), and luckily for her owners, Pharari is just that.

Now Pharein and Pharari will probably never live up to the deeds of the greatest Phar-named horse in history, the immortal (except he’s dead, and stuffed at the Museum in Carlton) Phar Lap, but they both are blessed with stacks of natural ability – let’s hope Pharari’s career lasts a lot longer than the eight-start blitzkrieg that Pharein produced before injury ended her time on the track.

PS: The fact no one at school liked racing turned into a positive a year later when a teacher ran a “Charity TAB” at school at lunchtimes. He recorded old races, replayed them and took bets. Needless to say, he needed to pick more obscure races than Saturday features and the Shark Fund was the only charity that benefitted from that little project. Shout out to Mr Whiso.

BEST: Flemington R9 No. 12 PHARARI

BEST EACH-WAY: Flemington R7 No. 4 WHO DARES

BEST ROUGHIE: Sunshine Coast R8 No. 9 PORT PHILLIP