TAS/SA duo’s record breaking run in the Rocky Cup.

Winner the Tasmanian trained Irish imported horse Hype (IRE) (Teagan Voorhan, $14.00) registered a time of 1min:34.02 seconds.

Therein it was the fastest ever produced since the Cup distance was shortened from 2000m to 1600 metres in 2010 when won by Shuffle The Cash (Brad Stewart).

Irishman Hype became the first imported horse of his nationality to win it when he put paid by a 1.75l to gallant leader and runner-up Master Jamie (Les Tilley, $6.00) which was chasing an historic three consecutive Cup wins. With his surging finish from well back to capture Master Jamie and race clear in the last 100 metres, ironically Hype marginally broke the runner-ups previous record of 1min:34.14 seconds established in his 2023 Rocky Cup win.

As Ron White, the part-owner of “Jamie” would later so proudly say “he (Hype) had to run a record to beat him.” How true!

But a defiant Master Jamie, the highest stakes winning ($1,106,825)Callaghan Park trained horse in history bowed out  of racing (retired) in glory fighting off third placed Under The Cap ( Cody Collis) by a head.

Hype (IRE) is trained in Longford, Tasmania by polo cross exponent Aiden Nun. And the pair being the first Tasmanians to win the Rocky Cup which dates back to 1918.

For the last three years Hype (IRE) and some of his polo cross stablemates and Nunn have crossed the Bass Strait to winter in the sunshine at Beaudesert  (SEQ) and chase ther mixed equine gendres.

“Wet tracks, he hates them. They put me off bringing this horse up to Rockhampton for the last two years for your Cup. The horse is bombproof except he does not like soft tracks,” Nunn explained.

Rocky Cup record achievements for the horse and trainer but fear not winning SA based jockey Teagan Voorham didn’t miss out either.  Teagan became only the second of her gender to win a Rockhampton Cup with “The Rose” Pam O’Neill the trailblazer on Supersnack in 1990.  However, one record that Teagan can not be deprived of is that she is the first SA jockey to win the race.

Aiden Nunn knew Voorham well, firstly from here polo days in Tassie and then S an apprentice jockey. Sourcing a suitable jockey to make the lightweight of 54kg, he text Voorham an SOS on Wednesday offering her the Hype (IRE) to fly north.  “I was anxious to accept because Aiden thought the horse had very good chance,” Teagan explained just before accepting her historic Rocky Cup trophy.

Then it came down to her Brisbane based manager Melissa Shields getting her client a release from some race rides at Murray Bridge races on Saturday.

All’s well that ends well which it did for horse, trainer and jockey.  Cheering Teagan Voorham home on Hype(IRE) perched in front of a SKY Racing outlet in Adelaide, was retired dual champion  Melbourne Cup winning  jockey John Letts (Piping Lane, Beldale Ball).  Lettsie has played a role in Adelaide in mentoring Teagan and installing in her the importance of patience  in timing a horse’s finishing run.

Record gallop with the Rockhampton Cup but surely the events of the Cup of 2024 at Callaghan Park are going to take some beating.

However – what is it that they say “records are made to be broken”.

Pictured: Leon Roberts delivers Rocky Cup winning jockey Teagan Voorham a hug under instructions from her Adelaide mentor, John Letts.

Story & Photograph: Tony McMahon.