‘Tonk’ set for career change after record claim

CO Clare trainer Aengus King thought he was on the end of a prank call when he answered his phone at 7.55pm last Friday to be told “Congratulations, you’ve got the horse.”

Half-asleep in his armchair, the trainer had to be reminded that earlier in the day he was one of 56 people to lodge a €5,000 claim for Dundalk winner Tonkinese.

The number of claims lodged for the winner was a record. The eight-year-old represented outstanding value as a consistent performer who ran 14 times for his previous owners Syndicates.Racing and won three races, including the Apprentices Derby at the Curragh.

“It was my first time making a claim and I had given up on it,” admitted King yesterday.

“The horse is here now and looks fantastic. I would run him in Dundalk again but the only problem is that I don’t have a flat licence at the moment. I have applied for one though my intention is to keep Tonkinese for hurdling once the ground improves.”

King is best known for his handling of Capture The Drama, a 13-year-old chaser who has won nine races.

Jack Cantillon, founder of Syndicates.Racing, wishes the horse’s new owner every success. “Tonk is a complete legend of a horse that we will miss greatly. He went off 3/1 for the Chesham and spent a season as a lead horse for Ribchester. He cost us €10,000 in October 2019, he won three races (including a Derby!) and €35,000 in prize money. What a servant for Syndicates.Racing and what a training performance by Joseph O’Brien.

“The rules of the syndicate had an agreed end date of January 1st, 2021. The syndicate decided they would like to give him every chance of going out on a winning note, so this race gave everyone the chance for an exceptional piece of value in buying Tonkinese while giving our owners an exceptional winning chance. I was delighted to see it work out for everyone.

“My view is claimers are invaluable and should be every week and every grade of horse. The interest in Tonk is testament to that.”

A spokesperson for Horse Racing Ireland said they expect to programme at least 40 claiming races this year, assuming there is no disruption to the calendar.