Big night ahead for the Argue family at Cambridge

By Jordyn Bublitz 

A $2,000 punt at the weanling sales will turn into something far more meaningful than stakes or sectionals at Cambridge Raceway tonight, when Stephen Argue unveils first starter Kasi Jay in the Hire A Venue At Cambridge Raceway Handicap Trot (5.35pm).

The four-year-old mare brings with her a pedigree that reads far richer than her price tag. 

From the famed Landora line, she is out of Landora’s Jewel, the producer of Australian winner Jewel In The Crown (8 wins, 10 placings, $76,000+), and a half-sister to the temperamental and talented mare The Moonstone.

But for Argue, this is less about bloodlines and more about people.

“We went to the weanling sales, and my wife Lee just fell in love with her the moment she saw her, she asked if she could buy it and I told her to knock herself out!” he laughed.

The road to race-day has been anything but straightforward. Early promise was tempered by patience, setbacks, and a conscious decision to do right by the horse, and not rush her.

“We broke Jewels in as a yearling, we had her up and ready to go as a two-year-old, but I’d had a good talk to Nicky Chilcott who trained The Moonstone, and she said that she partly blamed herself for making her so hot by showing her too much speed too early.”

“I took Jewels out to work one day, and she just latched on a bit, so we decided to chuck her out in a paddock.”

Time, and a couple of untimely incidents, forced their hand further.

“She came back in as a three-year-old and was two weeks away from trialling and got a fright in the paddock one day, ran into a gate, and twisted a joint. The vet said to give her six weeks off, and we were that busy at the time, six weeks turned into 6 months, but in hindsight that was a blessing because she’s always been a big jointed type of horse.”

“We were ready to go again as a late three-year-old and she went out and did a similar thing again!”

Enter his son Robert, and a turning point.

“My son Robert came back from Australia around the time that she came back into work, and he’s to take a lot of the credit for her manners and the way she’s trotting at the moment, he’s very very good with a trotter.”

That return carries its own significance. Robert hasn’t driven on race-day since 2020. Tonight, he returns to the sulky behind a horse he knows as well as anyone.

Her two public hit outs at Pukekohe have been encouraging, a comfortable qualifying win on April 21, followed by a solid fourth against pacers on April 29 where she stuck on gamely.

“To be honest with you the last six weeks she’s just gotten better.”

“Rob does all of the driving with her. I’m not allowed to touch his baby! He said ‘this thing is in the zone’. She just keeps trotting better and better every time we go out there.”

Kasi Jay steps out from barrier five on the front line tonight, a maiden trotter making her race-day debut with all the unknowns that brings.

“We’re quietly confident tonight but we’re also cautious because she is a maiden trotter. She’ll be looking at a lot of things she’s never had to see before, so her eyes will probably bulge.”

And success is measured simply.

“If she trots all the way I’m happy, but if she trots all the way, with the way she’s been working, I would like to think she’d be winning.”

Yet the result will almost be secondary to the moment.

Robert’s return, in his mother’s colours, ties the story together in a way racing so often does at its best.

“There will probably be tears from all three of us. The colours that she’s racing in are Lee’s colours, and the last time they were worn was on a horse called Precious Moment.”

“Those colours mean quite a bit to Rob because the only time his grandmother saw him drive was on Precious Moment in those colours.”

“He absolutely loved Precious Moment, so he asked if we could race Jewels in Lee’s colours for that exact reason.”

“We’re looking forward to tonight with a lot of excitement, and a healthy bit of reservation, you never know what could happen with a trotter first time off of the property!”

Win, lose, or learn, Argue is confident that their bargain buy has a future.

“She’s a really nice horse, and she will win races going forward.”

For $2,000, they bought a weanling.

Tonight, they line up with something far more valuable.