Filmmakers find secret weapon in Darby fundraising efforts

By Jordan Gerrans

For David Waddington and Chris O'Reilly, the process of having their documentary made on the life of late champion Queensland jockey Darby McCarthy has been a labour of love. 

Waddington (director) and O'Reilly (producer) have been striving to finish the film since they started filming with the revered former jockey way back in 2017 before his death in 2020.

Throughout the process, the team have been busy fundraising to finish the feature project titled “In a Life Time.”

They believe they are around $200,000 short of the required figure to finalize the film.

Through social media, word of mouth, fundraising websites and everything else in between, Waddington and O'Reilly have exhausted as many angles as they can think of in a bid to raise the money.

Still chasing significant cash to this day, they may have unearthed a secret weapon when it comes to their fundraising hopes.

A six-year-old brown mare, who has had one start to her name, could unlock the door to finally have the much-anticipated film completed.

The mare races under the name Uncle Darby'sdream and had her first start only a few months ago. 

The dream being that the late revered jockey always envisioned his tale to be detailed in a film before his passing.

 “This was Darby’s wish, to have his story told,” Waddington said.

“To allow his story to be a testament to what you can do if you use your ability and walk the right walk and do the right things in your life, which is what Darby did.

“There is not one bad word about Darby that I have seen throughout this filming, he was an incredible human being.”

As well as being a producer of this film and others, O'Reilly also dabbles with training a few gallopers on the side.

From his Casino base, he last prepared a winner in June of this year when Kyogle Kid got the prize at Warwick.

The filmmaking team are hopeful through the racing career of Uncle Darby'sdream that funds can be raised through prize money earned on the track as well as awareness raised about the project.

The mare was entered for a race on Friday of last week at Lismore Turf Club but she was balloted out of the Super Maiden Plate over 1210 metres.

The daughter of American sire Dream Ahead has had four official trials and one race start where she did not figure in the finish at Grafton.

The mare is owned by Horseabout Productions who are the drivers of the documentary about the late McCarthy.

She has taken a unique path to becoming a race horse but O'Reilly is eager to see what she can produce with more public appearances under her belt.

As well as aiming to win races, Uncle Darby'sdream is also used in parts of the film.

“I do see her winning a race soon but she is still learning,” O'Reilly said.

“She is a six-year-old now as I did not break her in until she was five.

“In a year, to start her and get her trialed and educated, there has been a fair amount to do in a short period of time.

“Plus, she is being used in the film as well. Hopefully she can help us with the fundraising, as well.”

The idea to make a film about the extraordinary life of McCarthy was sparked by Waddington and O'Reilly at the Cannes Film Festival several years ago.

When they got speaking to locals and others in the film industry, they discovered there was a serious appetite for films about horses in Australia.

And, once the tale of Richard Laurence "Darby" McCarthy OAM was first broached – they were sold.

Born in Cunnamulla in 1944, McCarthy rode at outback meetings before embarking on a successful apprenticeship in Brisbane.

From the time of his earliest race ride at the age of ten, McCarthy showed an enormous natural ability.

McCarthy established himself in the top flight of riders when he won three Stradbroke Handicaps in the years between 1963 and 1966.

At the age of just 16, he rode in his first Melbourne Cup.

Among his 30 major victories were the Australian Jockey Club Derby and the Epsom Handicap double at Randwick, as well as a Brisbane Cup and Doomben 10,000.

McCarthy competed with distinction overseas, principally in England and France, where he raced for some of the world’s wealthiest owners. 

He gained public affection for his flair and personality, respect for his horsemanship, and admiration for courage in adversity.

A proud descendant of the Mithika people, McCarthy was intent on enlightening the wider community on the special place of Aboriginal culture in the country.

In a career spanning three decades, commencing in a time when Indigenous Australians had only just won the right to vote, McCarthy managed to overcome adversity by winning hundreds of races.

In 2004, McCarthy became just the fourth jockey to be inducted into the Queensland Hall of Fame before being awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for his services to racing and his work with Indigenous youth in 2016.

A final honour came when he was posthumously inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2021.

“Darby’s story is an incredible one about achievement,” Waddington said.

“He overcame any prejudices or any problems that were confronting him.

“He used his grit, stamina and professionalism to overcome everything that was put in front of him.

“He allowed his riding ability and his intellect to shine through. The film will be an inspiration for a lot of people, because that is what Darby’s life was.

“He was able to rise above all the issues and everything placed in front of him – he never let those things get him down.”

The film includes 67 interviews with jockeys, trainers and other industry figures from around the world.

O'Reilly estimates they are around 80 per cent finished and are in the process of shooting re-enactment scenes.

Once the duo returned from Cannes, they travelled to Queensland to begin filming with McCarthy and spent numerous hours with him before he passed away.

“We kept talking, filming and listening – taking in all the history Darby had to tell us and the stories before his death,” O'Reilly said.

“No one has had a bad thing to say about Darby through the filming process, it has all been positive and inspiring.

“When we were filming across three states and he was unwell in hospital, I would ring him with the person we had just interviewed and he would speak to them and we would have the camera rolling.

“There is a lot of good material in this film that no one has ever seen yet.”

Former Queensland jockey Lyall Appo plays an older McCarthy in the film while current hoop Ronald Simpson plays him as a younger man.

According to Waddington, the film is shot from the perspective of a jockey as he says from a director's point of view is a challenging task to complete.

“Darby’s contribution to Australian sportspeople has been so important,” Waddington said.

“He has inspired so many other athletes.

“Uncle Darby'sdream is a beautiful, quiet horse. We are thankful she is here with us and she will probably travel around with us when we screen the film.

“She is a trier and she is still learning. She has a fantastic heart. The horse is pushing it forward for us and putting it out there for the public.”

Despite the mare not yet winning a race, O'Reilly has his ambitions aimed high.

“Hopefully Uncle Darby'sdream’s will do well on the track and in the film, as well as creating interest for the film,” the trainer said.

“Uncle Darby'sdream’s is about Darby’s story. She is good natured and she has improved in her work. We have changed some gear on her.

“Hopefully people can follow the horse, have a win and then donate some money to the project.

“We will race around here on the Northern Rivers then take on Sydney and Melbourne."

The Documentary Australia Foundation is continuing to raise funds to help support this film project.

Click here to make a donation to the project or to read more.