It's carnival time, and the sheiks are in town, the Irish invasion is happening and the big boys Hayes, Cummings and Freedman have all the big names & favourites.

Not for us, Gordon (Gordie) Strang my trainer and co-owner and I are off to the picnics at Healesville with two horses Super Shag (Herbie) & Lay Back Lad (Oscar) and a new member to the team Shiralee Waddell - our track rider and an amateur rider who will ride them at Healesville Picnics.

Gordie and I have raced horses together for over 20 years - no city wins but a lot of fun. We even at one stage went  over ten years together with out a winner - bowed tendons, wind problems, snake bites - the whole gamut of racings poblems. Old Oscar is 9 years old but has won nearly $25,000 in stakes in the last 6 months & we've been stoked - he had previously spent 2.5 years on the sideline with a bowed tendon after showing real promise and beating significant horses in his early days
such as Plans, a magic millions winner. No horses like Plans against us today, and our confidence is high. Herbie is a 5 year old with an ionglorious past - he looks destined to be given away to a friend of
ours for her daughter if he continues to fail.

I pick my mates Les and Murray up, pack the esky and we're off to the races.

Herbie is in the first -  a maiden - a non-descript field of 5 like us all with high hopes. Herbie has had 16 runs for just two seconds at the picnics and has been described with various names - as a cat, a dog and an idiot - but he has character and has shown glimpses of form but is just bone lazy. We also have him in the last race 6 - he's fit and sound, and we think running him twice may be a way to switch him on. We know he'll stay, but we just have to get him to believe he's a race horse.

I go for a small bet - he is $2.80 and I ask the bookie for $3 - he says no but after I chat with him and letting him know that I'm the owner and give him little chance, he lets me on at the $3.00. We chat, he lets me know he thinks we are a better chance in the last but he doubts Herbies ability to stay - he backed him recently and that's how he had made his opinion. I let him know that he'll stay - he's just lazy. Gordie is nearly  late to leave the mounting yard with Herbie, he's let every kid who wanted to to pat the lovely looking little grey horse pat him, and with such a huge crowd, that's a lot of kids! The first is run & Herbie after being last at the turn runs on nicely for second. He looks to have pulled up well  - all we need is a vet clearance to go around again in the last.

Oscar is in race 5 - he's our real hope - after winning races recently at Kilmore and Seymour and only being beaten 7 lengths by Majestical at Bendigo in a $100k race - Majestical has then gone on to win a Cranbourne Cup - we are confident. Not that it has all been good, an unexplained failure at Albury where he ran last and nearly falling at Corowa picnics after that and again running last keeps things in
perspective. Well, the pockets are lined and we're ready to go. He opens up twos on - a shock to us but so be it - Gordie and I lumber in at the $1.80 on offer with the books and load up.

At this stage depression is setting in - my mate Les, ether inspired by the buckets of coldies he has drunk or some other moment of insanity is declaring Herbie should be odds on in the last and should win - the other two starters are a maiden beaten 20 & 30 lengths at his only two runs and the other horse - the favourite - is a horse having it's 32nd start who's only won one race and the inglorius sum of $2700 in prize money. I can't match his confidence - we're still a maiden and when the race finishes he will have covered 3300 metres in the day - further than the Melbourne Cup. He opens up at $2.00 - Les says this is overs & I should jump on - I'm not convinced but do back up with a small bet at the $2.80 as he eases in beating - no doubt due to the fact he's having two runs on the same day.

The big crowd have taken to Herbie - with the alcohol consumed, the fact he's a grey and with moniker of "Super Shag" (thanks for that name Gordie!) he's a crowd favourite.

Herbie is obviously not taking to this backing up again - he's reluctant to enter the barriers and is probably wondering why the hell he's going around again on the same day.

They're off - Herbie gets a flyer and he's straight to the front unlike the first where he was out the back. About 1000 to go and the other two jockeys, obviously aware he's on his second run for the day,  decide to soften him up and they take him on. Shiralee rides hard and kicks him up
again. At the corner a line of 3 and Herbie is just behind, The crowd are screaming "go Super Shag", Shiralee throws everything at him and he starts kicking back, they're all tired but he just finds enough and hangs on to win.

At the picnics everyone chats to you and you make new friends - after the race all these new friends are shaking my hands and high fiving me - what a feeling!

Smiles all round, one very tired horse and an equally tired jockey who can only say "gee's I'm knackered" (She's been fasting for two days to make the weight and has had to ride him hard all the way - she genuinely is spent).

Well you can have your Flemington's but for one small group and a courageous little grey horse it's been a big day.

Ah dreams, maybe not of the big smoke but perhaps some non-descript race at Corowa or Mansfield for little Herbie.

Brian Cain