DARK GLITTER’S OVERDUE WIN WAS JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED FOR TRAINER MIKE VAN GESTEL
They played into Dark Glitter's hands at Rosehill and she blew 'em away - Courtesy Bradley Photographers.
In the middle of last month horse racing was the furthest thing from Mike Van Gestel’s mind. After two weeks of indifferent health he suddenly found himself in hospital with an elevated heart rate triggered by a full blown dose of sepsis - a highly dangerous condition that warns of an impending infection in the body. Thankfully prompt medical attention averted any further complications, and the veteran trainer was allowed to go home after two days, albeit a little the worse for wear. It wasn’t long before Mike was outside fussing over his team of two horses, five year old mare Dark Glitter and seven year old gelding No Statement. It’s well documented that the Van Gestel duo are half siblings.
Family and friends thought Mike might send Dark Glitter to Rosehill Gardens with a caretaker trainer on Saturday, but they should have known better. The eighty two year old insisted on supervising proceedings and delivering pre-race instructions to Anna Roper whose confidence was high after an earlier win on Nullarbor Jane. After all, Dark Glitter does take a bit of riding. She’s habitually slow out of the gates, needs to find an uninterrupted passage and is at her best when produced at the right moment.
Family and friends expected Mike to stay home on Saturday but they should have known better - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
As is her custom the bay mare “flopped” out of the gates in Saturday’s Ranvet Hcp and was a clear last in the first hundred metres of the BM88 event. Anna Roper forearmed by one previous ride on Dark Glitter focused on getting the mare into a fluent rhythm, at the same time hoping for a generous pace up front. She got both. As the field linked up with the course proper favourite Smashing Time was being pressured by Eye Of The Fire with Celui in third spot. Memoria was next outside Midnight Opal with well supported Gatsby’s not far away. Dark Glitter was on the fence in front of only two horses some eight lengths from the leader.
The astute Roper saved good ground on the fence rounding the turn before seeking a way out. She adroitly nudged out of a pocket on the inside of Dollar Magic, and had Dark Glitter perfectly balanced six lengths off the leaders on straightening. This was the first time in a long time the Hawkesbury mare had enjoyed exactly the right run in a fast run race. It was now up to her, and she delivered in spades. Dark Glitter came down the middle of the track with a booming run to grab Smashing Time fifty metres out. Her momentum was such that she was able to put 1.2 lengths on the favourite in a twinkling.
Dark Glitter got all the breaks in Saturday's BM88 and swamped the leaders in the closing stages - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Surprisingly it was Dark Glitter’s first win in exactly seventeen months, the previous being in a BM78 at Randwick with Molly Bourke on board. In between times, some of her performances at black type level have been first class - to wit, second to Firestorm in the Gr Millie Fox, third to Melody Again in the Gr 3 Dark Jewel Classic, second to Manaal in the Gr 2 Sheraco Stakes and third in a second Millie Fox earlier this year to Cinsault. A number of her unplaced runs have been the result of bad barriers, slow beginnings and the inevitable traffic problems. Despite these hiccups the homebred mare has now accumulated a record of 46 starts for 6 wins, 6 placings, 5 thirds and a pretty tidy $647,250. A look at the backstory makes you realise Dark Glitter is one of the bargains of recent times.
Anna Roper reviewed the race for Mike and Louisa Van Gestel after the Ranvet Hcp - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
An impulse to source a sensibly priced broodmare sent Mike Van Gestel to an Inglis sale in 2018. He was pretty chuffed to come away with an eight year old Bernardini mare called Berning Affair for just $12,000. She had a positive test to Caulfield Guineas winner Press Statement whose service fee at the time was $13,500. Berning Affair had been to the races only twice for two unplaced efforts but her pedigree more than compensated. The Bernardini mare was a daughter of Gold Fair (Made Of Gold) who happened to be a sister to Gold Anthem, dam of elite racehorse and sire Starspangledbanner. Going further into the pedigree Mike discovered this was the family of luminaries like Elvstroem, Haradasun and Highland Reel.
The mare’s Press Statement foal turned out to be No Statement who’s still racing for Mike and his family. The gelding is one of the fastest horses in the state and has won fourteen races with sheer brilliance from 900m to 1100m. He’s also politely reeled off a mere twenty two placings accumulating prize money of $530,000. Now a rising eight year old the gelding remains sound and will be a force for some time yet over short courses.
In selecting a consort for his new mare Mike opted for the former talented sprinter Spieth who stood at Aquis Farm in Queensland and already had some promising horses on the track. Spieth, a son of Thorn Park had won a stakes race at Randwick but was best remembered for two excellent seconds at Gr 1 in The Darley Sprint and Lightning Stakes both at Flemington. Berning Affair’s Spieth filly was foaled on the Van Gestel property near Richmond and enjoyed a trouble free upbringing. Not long after Dark Glitter’s arrival Mike fielded an enquiry about Berning Affair’s availability from Gerry Harvey’s Bloodstock Manager Luke McDonald. The fact that he already had a filly from the mare, and the appeal of Baramul’s offer saw the Belgium born trainer agree to move her on.
Mike Van Gestel is noted for his ability to keep horses in a good head space for lengthy periods of time. This talent has seen the veteran win multiple races with horses of modest backgrounds. We’ve already pinpointed No Statement’s fourteen wins, but we can go back a lot further to horses like Galleon’s Gem who won six including three in town. Drop Of Magic won thirteen races for Mike with no less than twenty one placings. Charlie Chap posted seven wins and thirteen placings. Recently retired Titan Star won ten with a hard-to-believe thirty six minor placings. The Hawkesbury trainer has fond memories of Casino Dancer, a mare he acquired for $9,000 from the Patinack Farm dispersal in 2012. Her six wins included two at stakes level - the Gr 3 Angst Stakes at Randwick and the Gr 3 Eclipse Stakes at Sandown.
Van Gestel bargain buy Casino Dancer wins the Gr. 3 Angst Stakes with Winona Costin 10/10/2015 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Mike met his Dutch born wife Louisa in Australia. Soon after their marriage the Van Gestels were invited to manage Booralie Stud on the Richmond Lowlands. Their love for the Hawkesbury Valley and the rural serenity of Booralie prompted their decision to actually purchase the property in 1974. Here they raised a family of four - sons Marc and Paul and daughters Marielle and Melissa. Today the dynasty boasts eleven grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Marc Van Gestel was Deputy Chairman of the Racing NSW Stewards panel from 2006 until Ray Murrihy’s retirement in 2016. He filled that role with distinction until 2023 when he accepted an offer to replace the retiring Kim Kelly as Chairman Of Stewards for the Hong Kong Jockey Club. By coincidence Marc’s brother Paul is nowadays Chief Steward for the GWIC (Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission).
Mike and Louisa still live on the Richmond Lowlands property they’ve called home for fifty two years. They’ve had a few scares from the inevitable floods over the years but have never been alarmed enough to consider a move. With a handful of thoroughbreds and a small herd of cattle around them, the affable couple are very content with their lot in life. Mike says he keeps the cattle simply because “he likes ‘em.” He likes people too, and you’ll find it all but impossible to find one who doesn’t like Mike Van Gestel.
Mike and Louisa were on cloud nine after Casino Dancer's Gr. 3 win - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
