Racing: Cup triumph tinged with pain of loss

By MICHAEL GUERIN

Colin De Filippi still had one wish left after the greatest moment of his career yesterday.

The Canterbury horseman produced the perfect drive to go with his perfect training performance to steer Kym's Girl to victory in the $350,000 New Zealand Trotting Cup at Addington.

The unfashionably bred speed-freak mare downed the best stayers in Australasia by coming from near last to grab harness racing's holy grail in what wasn't one of the fastest but definitely one of the most exciting cups in a decade.

For 49-year-old De Filippi it appeared life could not be better. He trains Kym's Girl in partnership with his wife Julie, who became only the second woman to train a New Zealand Cup winner. It should have been perfect.

But while the pride of what he and his wife had accomplished what written all over his face, there was a different emotion etched across his heart.

As he took refuge from the crowds 30 minutes after the race he fought tears as he spoke of what was missing.

"I hope that Darren is watching this from somewhere,? said De Filippi."

Darren is the De Filippis' son, who died six years ago this month.

The 19-year-old was coming back from driving at a racemeeting when a car crash ended his life and a highly promising career.

"This is the moment I have worked all my career for but it would mean so much more if Darren was here to share it with us."

De Filippi was grooming his son to one day become his training partner and admits when life struck him the cruelest blow a parent can suffer he lost interest in horses.

"In fact, it wasn't just horses I lost interest in. For a while there I lost interest in everything.

"What we did today was great and I am bloody happy and proud. After all, this is the race I have waited to win all my life. But I have had winning races put in perspective for me.

"That is one of the reasons this is so special because it has been a family affair," he said, getting a kiss from daughter Mandy.

Julie De Filippi almost dismissed her effort to become the second woman to train a New Zealand winner.

"That doesn?t matter so much to me. But I am thrilled for Colin, that is more important."

While tinged with tragedy, the Colin De Filippi story is one of triumph against crippling odds.

Always a superb reinsman and a member of New Zealand's elite 1000 winning drives club, De Filippi was lucky to even be at Addington yesterday - or anywhere else for that matter.

He was within hours of death himself seven years ago after a brain haemorrhage from which doctors feared he would not recover.

After his recovery and the later tragic loss of Darren he was almost able to shrug off the racetrack lows like losing the drive behind Courage Under Fire in controversial circumstances last year.

Even this week, just three days before his greatest racing moment, he saw his superstar 3-y-o drive Sly Flyin suffer a possible season-ending injury.

It was the industry knowledge of those setbacks which drew an army of supporters to Kym's Girl stable after the cup for handshakes and hugs.

As he reflected on winning the cup at his 17th driving attempt, De Filippi heaped praise on Kym's Girl's former trainer and still part-owner Dave Millar.

"Dave sent her to us to train last year when she started to have some leg problems and we have been swimming her a bit, but he did a great job on her too," he said.

"But she is maybe a length better than last year and also tougher. Which you need in these big races."

The victory was Kym's Girl's 17th from 64 starts and after being a slow maturer she has developed into the best mare in Australasia, with an invite to the November 30 Miracle Mile almost certain.

While hef talent is not in dispute she was aided in her quest to become the first mare to win the cup since Blossom Lady in 1993 by a faultlessly economical drive.

De Filippi let her sit four back on the fence and didn't panic when matters looked dismal at the 800m.

"I could see horses like Holmes D G, Yulestar and Atitagain getting further in front of me and for second I thought, 'this isn't going to plan'.

"Then I remembered what John Noble, who was a very good driver, said to me way back when I had my first cup drive. He told me not to panic. And be patient."

After the wars Colin De Filippi had to win on his way to the Addington's winners' circle yesterday, nobody could accuse him of not taking that advice.