Many young blokes on Oaks Day would know how James J Braddock was feeling in the mounting before one of biggest races in the world a few months back.
Let’s just say James J Braddock’s mind wasn’t exactly on his job in the minutes before the English Derby
Fillies dominated his thoughts and he had no inhibitions about showing it.
But he’d gone too far and become dangerous to handle.
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So dangerous that trainer Joseph O’Brien stepped in to save a staff member from the physical peril that accompanies a 500kg animal full of testosterone.
O’Brien’s race planner Kevin Blake said a hardened racing veteran said James J Braddock’s pre-race behaviour was up there with the worst he had seen in decades in the sport.
“If you were watching it on TV, you wouldn’t have seen the half of it,” Blake said.
“He really, really misbehaved.
“One of my mentors, he’s been working the paddocks in English racing for 40 years and said that’s as bad as he’s seen before a Derby.
‘It was hammering with rain and the horse had completely lost his head.
“Joseph took over from the lad that was leading him. Once he started kicking off, he took over and I’ve never seen him do that before.
“James J actually nearly knocked him out with a headbutt walking out on the track.”
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Such behaviour would normally consign a horse to the also-rans in a rich race such as the English Derby.
Especially when James J Braddock continued to carry on under his rider Dylan Browne McMonagle on the way to the start.
“Dylan said, as bad as he was in the parade ring, he just never let up all the way to the start,” Blake said.
“It’s a mile and a half to the start and usually that’s game over.”
Yet despite the enormous amount of energy wasted pre-race, James J Braddock ran a creditable third to the Christmas Day, trained by Joseph’s father Aidan.
That third qualified James J Braddock for a Melbourne Cup start but O’Brien decided to give the promising stayer another chance as a colt but with plenty of gear changes to ensure he behaved himself.
But Blake said the changes worked too well when James J Braddock was beaten 24 lengths in the Irish Derby.
“The Irish Derby, I’d say we were guilty of overcorrection because we changed a lot of things due to trying to get him to behave,” Blake said.
“It worked, it put him to sleep, but I don’t think he really woke up. He raced like that and was just very sleepy but I think that was our mistake.”
Decision time soon arrived.
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It was time to either commit or quit any hopes of taking the horse across the world for the Melbourne Cup.
The trip tests the mental state of even the best travellers with four weeks in quarantine and several veterinary procedures before and after travelling.
James J Braddock would have had no hope of coping as an entire.
“The travel, the quarantine, the tie-up, it’s a real test of temperament,” Blake said.
Connections chose to commit, making the tough decision to geld James J Braddock, who showed the benefit with perfect behaviour in a Group 3 race at Leopardstown, his final run before heading to Australia.
Blake said James J Braddock disgracing himself before the English Derby might have helped the son of Zarak beat the chief Racing Victoria handicapper David Hegan.
“He was handicapped based on what he did that day,” Blake said.
“With our optimistic read on that, if he was capable of doing that when he did so much wrong, when he behaves himself and was professional, and he’s now gelded, that he’ll be capable of showing more.
“That’s the case for being well handicapped.”
O’Brien and his stable have James J Braddock in perfect shape for Tuesday’s heavyweight bout.
However, there was the uncontrollable matter of drawing barrier 24.
But at least James J Braddock will behave himself this time.