BOOKMAKER Bruce Picone sits quietly, reflecting on past big bets and winning days.
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Race-starter Noel Colvin scurries back and forth from cloud to cloud while racehorse trainers George Sinclair, Kevin Hartin, Keith Swan, Johnny Frahm, Tony Hewitt, Les Fox and Col Thomas compare cup wins and good rides.
Jockeys Daniel Baker, Reece Potter, Merv Everleigh, Danny Burns, Barry Stein, Iris Neilson and Skeeter Kelly discuss past indiscretions with chief stipe Bronco Wilson, while two clouds across, punters Bill Sinclair, Bobby Kilner, Albert Gerke, Bruce Hamer and Tony Stephens talk of mammoth plunges and disastrous losses.
Moree Race Club presidents Fred Law and Trevor Humphries are swapping thoughts on day-to-day racecourse running costs with Quirindi club secretary Mouse Sinclair, and across the way race-caller and “flucs” man Trevor McCudden methodically memorises silks and colours.
George, exasperated by the boredom, stands up and addresses the small gathering.
“Pull your clouds in a bit closer boys and listen up. I’m too big and old to be leading horses around. If we just had a strapper up here we could put on a bloody race meeting,” he says.
The small gathering of bush racing folk cast their collective eyes across a paddock full of heavenly horses a few clouds across and ponder their dilemma.
Finally, it all gets too much for Noel Colvin.
He charges off to the front gates as quick as his little legs can carry him to speak with St Peter.
“Listen, Pete. We’re sitting here bored witless and the horses are restless. Who you got on the books today,” Noel asks.
St Peter flicks through a few pages, running his fingertips down that day’s arrivals. He is forever mindful that Noel is next in line for his job at the gates.
“Well, there is someone turning up today that just might suit your needs,” he says.
“You mean we have a strapper?” Noel asks.
St Peter winks his assent and smiles.
And so it came to be that a race meeting would be held in heaven, now that Tony McCosker had arrived on-course.
Tony, a gifted horseman straight from the old school, passed away on June 5.
It was the eve of the Mallawa Cup meeting, where he would’ve strapped cup winner Dungiven and bracelet winner Long Lasting had fate not intervened.
The owners of both horses dedicated the wins to Tony and, fittingly, the Mallawa Picnic Race Club honoured him with one minute’s silence just before the cup runners paraded.
Tony’s death was all too soon.
He was just 51 years of age and the sort of bloke that Banjo Paterson would’ve loved and admired.
Born at Goondiwindi in 1963 and schooled at Boggabilla, Tony moved to the Moree district – chiefly Yarraman – at the age of 10.
From there the unassuming bushman, well-known by his big hat and lanky frame, lived most of his life in the saddle.
He began his droving career at 15 with Dick Sing, and in later years teamed up with Garry Brazier.
About 20 years ago he lobbed at Peter and Nathan Sinclair’s racing stables at Moree racecourse.
It was an association – no, a brotherly bond – that would last until his passing.
“He was part of the family,” Peter Sinclair said.
“I’d known Tony from pony camp in our younger days, but when he started his working life as a drover he was on the road for a lot of years.
“He turned up out of the blue one day with a horse he wanted to keep at the stables and one thing led to another – it wasn’t too long before he was helping us out a bit,” he said.
“The place never moved without him; he was one of the best horsemen you’d ever come across.
“Even now I expect him to just turn up . . . as if he’s just been away for a few days,” he said.
Tony wasn’t just the stable strapper, however; he was a key race-day figure at many racetracks on the north-west circuit. He could take a hand to anything, especially if there was a horse or two involved.
“Just the other day Nathan and I watched some old race videos,” Peter said.
“In one you see Tony leading a horse around in the enclosure as the strapper; then in another you see him at the back of the barriers on a pony as clerk of the course.
“In the next video we watched he was at the barriers loading the horses in as a barrier attendant,” he said.
Despite his quiet, unassuming way, Tony knew how to make people laugh. He had that bushman’s dry, laconic sense of humour – the type that Banjo loved.
In the saddling enclosure at the Walcha Cup carnival earlier this year Tony, a huge fan of Sue Grills, sauntered over to the premier trainer.
Sue was on a high at the time – she had just led back Ron Martin Maiden winner Art Express, a 16-1 outsider.
Peter Sinclair, watching curiously from a few feet away, had backed runner-up, Bien Coupez.
Tony placed his long arm around Sue’s shoulder and congratulated her . . . and then kindly asked if he could send Peter over to her Tamworth stables for a couple of weeks so she could “learn him something” about the racing game.
And just like every one of Banjo’s bush characters, under all those leathery layers brought about by
living the hard life of a drover, was a tenderness very few knew about.
Tony was engaged to Viv Oakenfull for 13 years before they married in 1999 – and on every Friday for the last 12 months of their engagement he gave her a bunch of flowers until she finally agreed to tie the knot.
He often joked that their 13-year engagement was “the longest lay-by” he’d ever taken.
Meanwhile, as many mourn Tony’s passing, heavenly skyward there is a small band of bush racing folk busily organising a race meeting.
Noel Colvin again scurries across to St Peter for more advice.
“Heaven’s a big place, Pete. Where can we set up this race meeting,” he asks.
St Peter scratches his chin and thinks for a few moments.
“Take Cloud 9 over there. It’s full of Catholics – that should keep Bruce’s turnover humming along,” he smiles.
n Tony McCosker’s graveside service will be held at 11am at Moree cemetery on Wednesday, June 17 with light refreshments afterwards at Moree racecourse.