Hay and Rewald have a win to bang on about

By Jordan Gerrans

Bangers topped with mayonnaise sounds like a funky meal, but the bush team of Rodney Hay and David Rewald deserve a nice long lunch together after getting an injury-plagued galloper back into the winner’s enclosure. 

The Hay-owned and Rewald-prepared Bangers And Mayo claimed the Muttaburra Cup earlier this month by almost five lengths. 

The victory was the first for the eight-year-old gelding since way back in August of 2021 at Clifford Park on the Darling Downs. 

The son of Spill The Beans was off the racing scene between July of 2022 until late May of this year.

Bangers And Mayo was a city-winning juvenile earlier in his career before he bowed his two front tendons and spent a few years in the paddock at Hay’s property. 

The gelding had been off the track for some time and when Hay relocated from Taroom to Chinchilla, he was tossing up which horses he would take to his new location and which ones he would move on or retire. 

In hindsight, Hay says there was no specific reason why he decided to stick with Bangers And Mayo after he had not started for so long, but he is now glad he did. 

The team of Hay and Rewald were certainly rewarded for their perseverance with the galloper. 

“We got there eventually,” Hay said with a laugh.

Hay had the gelding ready to race late last year when he was still training the horse himself but there was a delay with getting him cleared to race by the stewards.

So, he had another spell over the summer months before being sent to Rewald at Blackall.

After seven runs back, the Central West horseman produced him at Muttaburra and he dominated in the local Cup. 

Top regional broadcaster Andrew Watts said Bangers And Mayo ‘smashed them’ in his call of the event as he led from start to finish. 

It was a proud moment for the 65-year-old Hay to see his comeback galloper finally get there.

“All of us down here at Chinchilla, we put a lot of time into him before David got him,” Hay said.

“Jockey Brendon Newport used to gallop him and would always say that he was a chance to win first-up because of how well he was going before we eventually got him back to the races.

“Maybe in hindsight, all the hold ups to get him passed by the vets may have helped him now that he had a lot of grounding before going to David.

“It might have strengthened him up. It was great to see him win.”

After spending around three years away from the races, Rewald says Bangers And Mayo is as sound as they come now and believes he can race on for another year or so in the Central West region. 

“He was given plenty of time in the paddock before they decided to give him another go,” the Blackall trainer said.

“He has not showed any more signs of being sore again since he has been with me.

“When they have had that long off, it is not a bad effort to come back.

“He has always showed ability, the horse."

In search of his second win in about four years, Rewald has Bangers And Mayo nominated for two races at Aramac this Saturday and will select his specific path later this week. 

“He had been racing not too bad before his win at Muttaburra but that was the first time we had been able to get him up to 1400 metres or a mile,” he said.

“He was racing and galloping alright, he just needed a few runs after he had so long off.

“That was a suitable distance for him and he is a horse that likes to get to the front. He got to the front and he won well, actually.

“It is a good effort to get back and then win, it is great.

“From what I can see, his body feels good with the way he is racing.”

The Rewald barn has been in form of late, preparing a double at Muttaburra last week before another double at Longreach on Saturday. 

Veteran horseman Hay is one of the biggest owners of gallopers across the Sunshine State and has nine in work with Rewald. 

He has horses with an array of trainers including Clinton Taylor, Pat Webster and Georgie Holt, among others, while also preparing his own team.