Racing’s mighty one dropped in for a break at Exeter yesterday just days after wowing Tasmanian fans with a gallop down the Hobart straight.
Dual Australasian horse of the year Might And Power rested at Vine Lodge for a couple of hours while on the way back to his retirement paddock at Wyong.
“He’s still got it ... jeez he looks good,” observed his handler Steve Gladstone.
Mr Gladstone “only met” the seven year old former champion for the first time early last week after a long career with thoroughbreds.
He was the bloke riding Phar Lap up the sandhills in the famous movie.
The veteran horseman was asked by Might And Power’s owner Nick Moraitis to accompany the galloper on a “meet the public” tour during the Hobart Cup carnival.
“He loved every moment of it,” Mr Gladstone said.
“There were people five deep on the fence who wanted to have a look at him as we ran him down the straight.
“Afterwards, they crowded outside his box to pat him, just to see what he felt like.”
The “people’s horse” Might And Power dominated sporting headlines several years back winning the Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate.
His bold frontrunning displays catapulted him into turf stardom, with demoralising wins against some of the world’s best thoroughbreds.
However, his career suffered an irreversible set-back when he damaged a tendon in early 1999 following an easy win in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes during the 1997 Melbourne Cup Carnival.
After almost two years on the sidelines, Might And Power returned with two unplaced efforts in Sydney last September.
He was subsequently retired having earned more than $5 million and is now on the equine version of the public-speaking circuit, according to connections.
“He’ ;s looking every bit as good as he did when he was racing,” Mr Gladstone said.
He and fellow handler Gerard Coonan have been with the horse since Monday morning last week.
Both men took shifts in watching the strapping thoroughbred during his float trips and the journey via boat across Bass Strait.
The Strait crossing alone took almost 20 hours on the Spirit Of Tasmania cruise/ freight liner.
“We opened the truck up for him so he could move around, he had his own water, feed and plenty of space,” Mr Gladstone said.
“We even had dinner in the captain’s lounge ... not because of us, but because of the horse!”
Vine Lodge managers Chris and Karen Wellings have had a long association with Mr Gladstone and said the stopover had always been planned.
They said Might And Power has been their most famous guest to stay at the historic Exeter equestrian establishment.
Mr Gladstone said plans are underway for Might And Power to visit South Australian and Western Austr-alian racetracks.
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