Word association with Royal Ascot today probably still runs with “top hat” as favourite.
It was not so when “a brahman bull” of a colt arrived and would up-end centuries of tradition and in doing so opening the doors of opportunity that Australians have embraced, and chased ever since (see history below) – just as Coolangatta, Cannonball, The Astrologist and Artorius will do this week – on the 20th anniversary of Choisir’s trailblazing Royal Ascot week of 2003.
Back then the mandated top hats were where some boisterous and unknown Aussies shovelled oodles of loose British pounds from the bookies into safe keeping after landing a plonk at around 33-1 in the King’s Stand and of course then let some of it ride again at 7-1 in the Golden Jubilee Stakes.
They were different days then, indeed different tracks. Ascot had raced since 1711 (yep well before Australia was colonised) when Queen Anne rode out of Windsor Castle thinking the nearby heath was a lovely place for a gallop and a track before it was re-born as the magnificent Berkshire precinct that it is so recognisable today.
That was some two years after Choisir appeared, and astonished, and changed the Royal week forever.
In 2003, Choisir flew in from Australia and won two races in four days at Royal Ascot ????????
This is the story of that historic week – and a legacy that is still felt almost 20 years later ????#AusHorse#ItPaysToBuyAustralian@Aushorse_TBA@JohnnyMurtaghpic.twitter.com/D5srjbJSaI
— World Horse Racing (@WHR) June 12, 2022
But quickly picture this: Trainer Paul Perry, son Shannon, and owner Terry Wallace (with wife Dianne and son John) are at the old Ascot with cash and ambition and a cunning plan.
“We had a reserved spot and table in the enclosure somewhere and we pooled all our money,” recalled Wallace.
“I sent my son (John) down to the betting ring to put it on, the old bookies would write the odds in chalk on their boards and not lay every horse.
“I don’t’ t know how much we had on or got on or won but it was thousands of pounds and when they paid him (John) out they were out of big notes, and he came back in a mess with cash everywhere.
“He was getting five-pound and ten-pound notes and there was so much, some blew away, people put their feet on it to help him out before he got back to our table, so we stashed it into the top hats.
“The rest of the team had money stashed everywhere in those tails and pockets.”
You can picture the scenes no doubt. What’s become the norm for a modern Aussie sprinter was unheard of at the turn of the century.
They weren’t even meant to be there at Ascot, they were instead scheduled to be on another international stage in Singapore for the Kris Flyer Sprint, until SARS, the pre-Covid cursor shut that down, and Ascot officials came with a surprise calling.
Paul Perry mixes it with royalty after Choisir’s The Golden Jubilee win
“We’d never thought of Ascot, let alone really heard of it,” Wallace said.
“We’d had horses like Notoire and Dantelah who had been to Dubai, Bezeal Bay to Hong Kong, they had virtually paid all the expenses and covered costs before we heard from Ascot, and it was totally different. Paul said they had some money, I thought they were joking.”
Wallace had planned a family holiday to Fiji until he cut that in half to answer pestered calls from his trainer to take up the invitation from Ascot officials like Douglas Erskine-Crum via Nick Cheyne with Adrian Beaumont handling the cumbersome details like the required apparel.
He remembers a call and directions from Beaumont for the traditional fitting of the required morning suit and top hat at the go-to provider Moss Bros in London, but they were staying in Newmarket.
“I rang a menswear business in Newmarket and said we were coming from Australia and needed come clobber for Ascot, I’m sure they thought I was having a lend of them,” Wallace said.
“And then I turned up on the Wednesday before with Paul and Shannon (Perry) and my son John to get fitted up and that’s when they said – ‘oh you’re the Aussies you are fair dinkum’ they never had any others through the door,” Wallace said.
“But then maybe no-one thought we were serious at the time,” said Wallace.
“Nothing like that had never been done before, let alone thought of being done and we hadn’t thought of it either, but Paul was confident we had the horse.”
And some horse they had. But they had raced plenty before and would have plenty after, a Slipper winner like Stratum for example.
Choisir wins The Golden Jubilee Stakes in 2003
The Wallace family had been with Perry since the 1980s, had as many as 70 in work solely with him at times, the deal being the Wallace family owned two-thirds, Perry the other third.
Choisir was a $55,000 2001 Inglis Classic yearling by Coolmore’s Danehill Dancer (some synergy will return there). The breeder had kept the older brother (Danny Dancer) and sold the younger colt to Perry, whose interest was sparked when he had seen Danehill Dancer win a race at The Curragh on a previous overseas trip.
Danny Dancer ended up with a career of five wins from 43 starts and $87,000 in stakes, last seen at Bathurst and yes Choisir, for the record, seven from 23 and $2.25m in stakes before we can reveal Coolmore outbid Sheik Mohammed’s Darley with $10m after the Royal Ascot double, not the $22m sometimes reported.
“After Royal Ascot it was hectic, we had nothing to go by in terms of what he was worth, it was all new ground, but Coolmore wanted him to run in our colours (in the July Cup, he ran 3rd to Oasis Dream), and then he was off to stud.”
But there is so much more to the story obviously than stats.
Not just such trivial things like names.
“I’d run out of ideas we had so many horses, so when I went to Dubai, I bought an Arabic dictionary, that’s where Dantelah comes from, Choisir and Notoire are French, Choisir is out of Great Selection, Choisir is ‘choice’ in French.”
Sure, Choisir had campaigned well as a juvenile in Australia, won a Skyline, placed in each of the Sydney 2YO Triple Crown, came back at three in good form and more headlines in a still controversial Flemington protest featuring Blur and Planchet. But he’d win a spring Emirates at Flemington and an early autumn Lightning before Perry thought of abroad.
Jockey Johnny Murtagh all smiles after Choisir’s Golden Jubilee Stakes win
He’d noted the David Hayes-trained North Boy winning a then rich Kris Flyer International Sprint in Singapore and said to Wallace that Choisir was a better horse so why not take on the world.
That world changed in England. Perry’s now estranged son Shannon, and veteran track rider Lyle Weaver, licensed in 1951, and made an amazing comeback to the saddle after Choisir’s retirement (you can work out the date and age), were on the travelling job to Newmarket.
It was Shannon who described their colt as a “brahman bull” of a horse, Johnny Murtagh, who had done time as a youngster riding in Sydney and having ridden for Perry said his instructions were the horse only had two speeds, – “slow and very fast – he was twice the size of any other horse.”
Europe’s finest at the time (and have stood the test of time since), Acclamation and Oasis Dream were left lamenting on the Tuesday, the next star, Airwave, left chasing on the Saturday. And remember Choisir was a southern hemisphere three-year-old weighted as a northern hemisphere four-year-old and then had an added Group 1 penalty.
“Having missed running in Singapore, Paul thought there was more improvement in him for the Saturday,” Wallace recalled.
“We had a Kia hire car and I remember filling up in Newmarket during the week and heard this voice yelling out to us ‘you Aussie’s you’ll never beat this horse on Saturday (Airwave)’, and we did, never found that bloke again by the way.”
But Choisir did and then all protocols broke loose.
Golf icon Seve Ballesteros had presented the trophies in typical no speech Royal Ascot style for the Hardwick Stakes prior. Then when Choisir completed the unprecedented double, lackies and minders lassoed the team to a quick lesson in commandments as The Queen was leaving her box to present the Golden Jubilee trophy.
Paul Perry arrives back in Sydney after Choisir’s Royal Ascot heroics with wife Chloriene and Terry and Dianne Wallace
“There was like panicking going on, trying to get everything right, teaching my wife how to curtsy, do this and that.” Wallace said.
“In the end we were just standing there on this stage, not like the one you see today, and we were just generally talking. I think Shannon asked her (the Queen) how her week was and she said she had nothing fast enough to go with our horse.
“And then we knew it was Prince William’s 21st that night and someone said she’d be in for a long day (and night) but I think it was an Egyptian theme and there was news the next day someone broke into Windsor Castle.”
True, but the real news was Choisir.
Aussie Jim, race caller Jim McGrath remembers vividly. He was the voice of BBC races, passionate but professional.
“He came here with no fanfare or expectations, modest at best, under the radar, impossible to assess his chances as nothing like this had ever been tried before,” McGrath said.
But as you listen to the McGrath call you can sense the pride in the achievement.
“What a famous victory, the Aussie is going to do it,” he said on King’s Stand Day.
“Step aside Phar Lap,” was the signature in a track record performance for the Golden Jubilee.
“There was nothing prepared or rehearsed, that’s fatal, it was all spur of the moment,” McGrath said on the eve of Royal Ascot 2023.
“You have to remember how tremendously adventurous it was as the time, but I had been reading that week about Phar Lap in Aqua Caliente, I don’t know why but it was spur of that moment, but I’d say Paul Perry was an outstanding ambassador for Australia, understated and modest, he handled himself and the situation extremely well.
“And of course, it opened the doors for all who followed.”
Something not lost on Royal Ascot’s recruiter and head of media Nick Smith, a young underling at the time who took over the task from Cheyne.
“Choisir‘s venture was groundbreaking, setting a trend for Australian sprinters to run at Royal Ascot with regularity and great success. To do what he did, winning both races, was remarkable and only very recently matched by Blue Point, who hadn’t had to travel from the other side of the world of course. It was a remarkable training performance and changed the face of Royal Ascot, for the considerable better.”
If Terry Wallace has vivid memories today of two decades ago, he will mention winning with Dantelah and Notoire (a Group 1 Salinger) on Derby Day, Bezeal Bay winning the race before the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday and Dantelah backing up against the boys and winning, that was something.
But Golden Jubilee Stakes night at the Heath Court Hotel, overlooking Sir Mark Prescott’s pristine yard next to the Newmarket grounds was something else.
“We got back there and there was a new crew from Australia. The bloke behind the bar said we have an Australian beer on tap here every week and he poured a pint of XXXX Gold. I’m from Newcastle and said, ‘haven’t you got a Toohey’s?’ He said “that was last week. Very punishing.”
Wallace enjoyed subsequent success with Perry via Stratum in a Golden Slipper, but eventually reduced his racing interests until enticed by his daughter-in-law into small shares recently with horses she had interests in like Spaceboy and eventually Sejardan.
“We were invited back a couple of times to England for some awards night, but never won anything. I remember that big bloke in the funny clothes (John McCririck) blowing up when Oasis Dream beat us for champion sprinter, but they were great times, Wallace said.
But he can sit back this week with comfortable pride (recalling those stuffed top hats and the kitty of a sale to Coolmore) and he’ll watch all those thinking, and hoping that they can be the next Choisir.
Paul Perry will saddle six runners on the Beaumont course at Newcastle on Monday while Johnny Murtagh, who won 43 races as a jockey including all the Group 1s at Royal Ascot – the Gold Cup 5 times, the Golden Jubilee, four, has two runners listed for the week as a trainer, Mashhoor on opening day and Carrytheone Thursday.
But there will never be another like Choisir.
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AUSSIES AT ROYAL ASCOT (since Choisir)
2005: (At York)
Prince of Wales’s Stakes: Elvstroem 3rd
*Fastnet Rock succumbed to travel sickness and was retired.
2006:
King’s Stand Stakes: Takeover Target 1st, Falkirk 4th, Glamour Puss 7th
Golden Jubilee Stakes: Takeover Target 3rd, Glamour Puss 10th.
2007:
King’s Stand Stakes: Miss Andretti 1st, Magnus 2nd, Takeover Target 4th, Bentley Biscuit 20th
Golden Jubilee Stakes: Takeover Target 2nd, Magnus 14th, Miss Andretti 15th
2008:
King’s Stand Stakes: Takeover Target 2nd, Magnus 8th.
Golden Jubilee Stakes: Takeover Target 4th, Seachange (NZ) 12th
2009:
King’s Stand Stakes: Scenic Blast 1st
*July Cup: Takeover Target 7th, Scenic Blast 10th
2010:
King’s Stand Stakes: Nicconi 4th, Gold Trail 10th.
*July Cup: Alverta 4th, Nicconi 10th
2011:
King’s Stand Stakes: Star Witness 2nd
Golden Jubilee Stakes: Star Witness 3rd
*July Cup: Star Witness 10th,
*Hinchinbrook scratched from Golden Jubilee Stakes due to injury.
2012:
King’s Stand Stakes: Ortensia 9th
Golden Jubilee: Black Caviar 1st
2013:
King’s Stand Stakes: Shamexpress 13th
*July Cup: Shamexpress 7th
2015:
King’s Stand Stakes: Shamal Wind 13th
Golden Jubilee Stakes: Brazen Beau 2nd, Wandjina 6th
2016:
Golden Jubilee Stakes: Holler 7th
2018:
Diamond Jubilee Stakes: Redkirk Warrior 10th
2019:
King’s Stand Stakes: Houtzen 8th
2022:
King’s Stand Stakes: Nature Strip 1st
Platinum Jubilee Stakes: Artorius 3rd, Home Affairs 20th.
2023:
King’s Stand Stakes: Coolangatta, Cannonball
Golden Jubilee Stakes: The Astrologist, Artorius.
*July Cup is not part of Royal Ascot week
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Other notable achievements by Australian horses over Royal Ascot week:
Haradasun: 1st 2008 Queen Anne Stakes (Aidan O’Brien)
Merchant Navy: 1st 2018 King’s Stand Stakes (Aidan O’Brien)
Starspangledbanner: 1st 2010 Golden Jubilee Stakes (Aidan O’Brien)
Soul: 4th 2012 Golden Jubilee Stakes to Black Caviar (Saeed Bin Suroor).
So You Think: 2nd 2011 Prince of Wales’s Stakes, 1st 2012 Prince of Wales’s Stakes (Aidan O’Brien).