Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Mcgaw (I Am Immortal) made an instant impression when making a mess of his rivals on debut at Pakenham on January 30, storming home to score comfortably by 3.5l over Cloisters (Frosted {USA}). The impressive debut certainly didn’t go unnoticed by punters and as a result, the son of I Am Immortal was sent out a $6.50 chance for the $1m event, with star jockey Damian Lane turning down rides in Sydney to retain the ride.
Jumping from the carpark draw, Mcgaw did not have the best start as he found himself three-wide without cover. However, Lane quickly took control of the situation, rolling forward to sit outside race leader Befuddle (Hanseatic), which proved a race-winning move. The pair engaged in a stirring showdown down the Caulfield straight, where Mcgaw gradually overpowered Befuddle for a tough 0.5l win.
Living the dream
There were bigger races won on Saturday, races with more prestige and worth more prize money, but there is something about the underdog achieving a great result which captures racing fans’ imaginations. There were scenes of jubilation from the connections of Mcgaw as they hoisted the $550,000 winners’ cheque in wild mounting yard scenes.
“It’s everything racing a horse is about, isn’t it,” Lane said post-race.
Damian Lane | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“A cheap buy with great people, David and Emma-Lee, and they have won a $1 million race. It’s what dreams are made of from an ownership point of view. It’s really rewarding when you can provide a result like that.
“He’s very raw and he’s really not sure still, he’s a big kid, he goes to the barriers trying to take off and jump different coloured patches on the grass so to be able to do what he’s doing race day, hopefully that means with natural progression that means he can improve and hopefully we are here in the spring.”
It was a deserved victory for the ownership group who took the bold decision to turn down significant offers from Hong Kong after his debut victory. Emma-Lee says she was relieved to get the win and thrilled with the fight her horse showed.
“There were a few owners, a few friends and family in the mounting yard, everyone was pretty excited!” she said.
Emma-Lee | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“It’s what we all hope will happen when you buy a horse at the sales and especially when you don’t have to pay a lot of money for them.
“There is quite a big group of owners and most are friends with each other. It was a great day with a great crew of people. They are great fun and a lot of them have been very supportive of us since we moved to Australia, a lot of them have shares in other horses with us as well. It was lovely to see everyone so happy. A great result for all involved.
“I was really impressed how he really knuckled down at the end. Befuddle was hard to get past and it was a bit of a battle up the straight but he really put his head down and concentrated on the job.
“I was really impressed how he (Mcgaw) really knuckled down at the end. Befuddle was hard to get past and it was a bit of a battle up the straight but he really put his head down and concentrated on the job.” - Emma-Lee
“It definitely gives you a fair bit of confidence that Damien Lane chose to stay in Melbourne for the ride, I also felt a little bit of pressure during the week, hoping it all worked out.”
“We’ve got a good affiliation with Damien Lane,” David Browne added.
“And once he won his trial like that we contacted Dean Hawkes, his manager, and said I think he should probably jump on this horse, whether he carries on as a 2-year-old or not, he’s going to be a nice 3-year-old.”
What impressed David Browne most about the victory was Mcgaw’s ability to adapt to a completely different race scenario, after showing a dynamic turn of foot from the rear last start.
David Browne | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“He deserved to get beaten, I thought. It was a tough enough run but he stuck to his guns and got the job done,” he said.
“He had to be ridden in a totally different style to his first win, which is hard. It’s hard for horses to go from being ridden off the speed to on the speed, outside the leader, there’s a big difference. It was a real tradesman style of win this time, he really toughed it out.”
A lucrative investment
Bred by Havaparty Investments, Mcgaw comes from a very solid family, being the fifth live foal from the Listed-winner Niki Piki Milo (NZ) (Librettist {USA}). She has also left the winners Green Hero (Rubick) and I Am Piki (I Am Immortal). He was sold from the draft of Stonehouse Thoroughbreds at the 2024 Inglis Premier Yearling sale, and David Browne says it was his wife who saw the potential in the horse as a yearling.
“Emma-Lee really liked him at the sales,” David Browne said.
“People probably looked at him and said, he’s too big. He’s reasonably heavy looking too which may have turned a few people away, but we gelded him instantly and went from there.”
Mcgaw as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
According to Emma-Lee, it was his attitude, in addition to his physical appearance, that left a lasting impression on her as a sale yearling.
“He just stood out on type to us, he had big long legs, and a great walk,” she said.
“He also had a great attitude and I think that shone through in the preparation.
“He (Mcgaw) just stood out on type to us, he had big long legs and a great walk. He also had a great attitude and I think that shone through in the preparation” - Emma-Lee
“He is a bit of big gangly bloke, he was still like that post-race yesterday, he was walking around taking it all in. I’m just so proud of him and everyone involved.
“He can be a little on his toes, so, initially, we thought he could be a little bit of a hot type, but once we have been working with him we realised he’s just a bit goofy, he’s not hot. We laugh that he is still a bit of a teenager.”
Eye on the Spring Carnival
Taking his immaturity into consideration, David and Emma-Lee believe we will see an even better horse in the spring.
“We’ll let the dust settle. He’s got a lot to grow yet. He’s probably going to be a 17-hand horse,” David said.
“He still is a bit leggy and needs to fill out into himself a bit more but he ate everything last night. We will still stick to the original plan and put him away and hopefully he is putting his hand up in the spring.
“He (Mcgaw) still is a bit leggy and needs to fill out into himself a bit more. We will still stick to the original plan and put him away and hopefully he is putting his hand up in the spring.” - David Browne
“He’s still a big baby and very green. We were very mindful of that. We didn’t want to run him too many times as a 2-year-old because you can get a young horse like that more educated, but it comes as a price too – you make them more dour.”
Given time to furnish into a 3-year-old, David believes his frame suggests he will enjoy getting out in trip.
“You look at the horse and you’d think he’d stretch out to a mile but you just don’t know,” he said.
“And then he’s got that much speed, like he showed yesterday, so maybe he might not stretch out like that. We’ll just have to assess it as we go. He looks as though he should go further, but that’s not always the case.”
Flying the flag for I Am Immortal
Mcgaw became the 14th individual winner for Swettenham Stud’s second season sire I Am Immortal, who also had promising 3-year-old Athanatos finish a narrow runner-up in the $500,000 VOBIS Platinum Guineas behind Benagil (Manhattan Rain) on Saturday.
Sparta Racing purchased another yearling by the Group 3-winning juvenile at the recent Inglis Premier Yearling Sale for just $10,000 in a hope to repeat the dose and attract even more clients to their Pakenham base.
I Am Immortal x Valuta colt purchased by Emma-Lee and David Browne at the recent Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale | Image courtesy of Inglis
“We have bought another I Am Immortal at the sales this year,” David said.
“He is in a similar mould; he’s a big horse that has been gelded as well and been sent to be broken in straight away. He is the same sort of cut of a horse.
“It’s just nice to have a really nice 2-year-old in the stable like this. We’ve actually had a bit of luck with 2-year-olds back in New Zealand, we don’t start a lot but when we do start them, they are usually pretty tidy – hopefully this new purchase can do the same.”
I Am Immortal | Standing at Swettenham Stud
Mcgaw’s dam Niki Piki Milo has produced an I Am Immortal yearling filly, a Supido filly foal and was served again by I Am Immortal last spring.
