Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Busselton trainer Barry Howlett is an astute judge of horseflesh and a keen student of breeding — and it was these skills that led him to paying just $6000 for a filly at a weanling sale in Auckland in November 2018.
He brought the Mach Three filly back to Western Australia and named her Three Rumours, now a sturdy four-year-old who is justifying Howlett’s faith by developing into one of the State’s best mares and proving to be quite a bargain, with her outstanding victory in the group 3 Coulson Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night taking her record to 25 starts for six wins, 12 seconds, one third and $92,227 in prizemoney.
Three Rumours is the third foal out of the unraced Bettors Delight mare Boom Time Baby, the eleventh and last foal out of This Time Franco, whose full-sister Time Again Franco produced Three Blind Mice, a pacer purchased by Howlett who earned $300,495 from 16 wins, 14 seconds and eight thirds from 82 starts, with his most significant victory being in the 2014 WA Derby.
Three Blind Mice’s wonderful ability was a driving force in Howlett’s determination to buy Three Rumours as a weanling. Howlett also paid $7000 for another weanling filly in 2018. She is by Mach Three out of This Time Christian, a half-sister to Boom Time Baby, whose dam This Time Franco raced 36 times for ten wins, 11 placings and stakes of $249,151. As a two and three-year-old in the early 1990s she won a group 1 classic event and two group 2 features.
Howlett named the $7000 weanling Our Love Affair, who has had eleven country starts for wins at Pinjarra and Narrogin, as well as five placings for earnings of $15,500.
“Early on, Our Love Affair was going better than Three Rumours, who couldn’t get near her,” said Howlett. “She was the one we were really rapt in. But she suffered from bad stifles. They were badly locked up, and we had them cut.
“It was Three Rumours who was getting better and better all the time. She has always been very strong.”
It was this great strength that shone brightly when Three Rumours, the $2.70 favourite from the No. 4 barrier, overcame an extremely tough run to win the Coulson Pace by a half neck from the $3.60 second fancy Nevermindthechaos, rating a slick 1.56.9 over the 2130m journey.
Star reinsman Chris Lewis sent Three Rumours forward, three wide, in the early stages, and the mare issued a spirited challenge to the pacemaker and $7 chance Miss Boudica. She led by a half-length 500m after the start but was unable to cross to the front.
Miss Boudica covered the opening quarters of the final mile in 30.7sec. and 30.5sec. before sprinting the third 400m section in 27.9sec. Three Rumours then forged to the front 390m from home and revealed splendid fighting qualities to fend off the determined late challenge from Nevermindthechaos, who settled down in last position before starting a strong three-wide burst 1000m from home.
Misstiano ($20) impressed in sustaining a powerful burst from tenth at the bell to finish third.
“The plan was to go forward early and try to get to the front,” said Howlett, who races Three Rumours in partnership with his wife Lynley and their son Jim.
“Three Rumours went around early and got three-quarters of a length past the leader but wouldn’t go any further. That’s what she does. Two starts ago she was three lengths clear in the straight, and she stopped and almost got caught. But she tried tonight when Nevermindthechaos came alongside her.
“It was a big run, considering the work she did, and she ran good time.” All going well, Three Rumours will be set for a $50,000 group 3 event for mares on February 10.
Howlett explained that he had registered several of his pacers with Three in their names. It all started with Three Bears, a pacer he bred and named after a spectacular surf break in Yallingup, not fare from his Busselton property. Three Bears was an excellent performer who earned $141,997 from 19 wins and 13 placings from 59 starts.