Platinum Racing

Dashes of Damon Runyon, hints of characters that lingered in the work of Adam Lindsay Gordon, Dick Francis and Banjo Patterson, traces of brilliance found in Rumpole of the Bailey or a Geoffrey Robertson, an ebullience and affability that would dwarf Barack Obama on his best day and, above all else more ability in his little toe than most people in his industry had in their entire body and just so, so much more.

It simply was never possible to define Ted Doon in life, and it becomes even less possible after his recent death in Canberra at 84 years of age.

There was one definitive (as Max Presnell pointed out in his obituary in Sunday's Sun-Herald) the little Chinese jockey was a "master horseman" on a scale that was unimagineable to most who have ever rode in races, a jockey with an exceptional talent. For every story you hear about Ted you will find that in most cases it is prefaced with a genuine affection for him and an awe of the incredible ability he had on a horse's back.

Very few jockeys have the aura of folkore around them that Ted Doon had.

Everyone that shared an era in racing with him had their own Ted Doon stories, and despite their level of gravity, people relayed them with a feeling of reverance and admiration for this wonderful character that rode 2000 winners. Life around E. Doon was like that - it was impossible not to like him, equally impossible not to admire his stellar ability, and, in real terms he was just the Graham Richardson of racing.

He could walk through glass, had an explanation for everything, a sense of humour that was omnipresent and, even people that had been given the best "haircuts" by Teddy ended up half blaming themselves for getting involved.

For the little man who came from a migrant family in Tumut (where many of his family still live today and still operate the Chinese restaurant in the main street, Wynyard Avenue) he made a mark on racing that became known the length and breadth of the country.

He moved to Sydney to become apprenticed and people soon found out that Snowy Mountains people are great horseman and can ride and 1944-45 he was Sydney's leading apprentice. It was an era where Darby Munro, George Moore, Jack Thompson, George Podmore, Ray Selkrig, Edgar Britt, Billy Briscoe, Bill Cook, Jim Munro, George Mulley etc were all hungry and keen.

In an era of tough racing, tough horseman and "last man standing racing" Ted thrived and succeeded. But behind Ted's angelic smile and well rehearsed sincerity was a little devil and Ted was never far away from trouble - spending time on the sidelines at the behest of the stewards more times than he would probably have even been able to remember.

Eventually the larger stables in Sydney grew tired of Ted's shenanigans and lack of opportunity forced him to move to Canberra - where he was simply a lap better than the rest, not that trouble excaped him there either.

Like most, as an apprentice I too had my dose of E. Doon, and again, like everyone else I have ever known, the anger in the heat of the moment always dissipates into "that was Teddy - I should have known better."

Presnell relayed stories relating to a charge Doon suffered from former Newcastle stipe Bob Dawbarn and also about a leading QC who said if he ever got charged with murder he wanted Ted Doon to represent him.

My funniest recollection of Ted was one day after a 5 furlongs Improvers race at Canberra where I drew barrier one on a horse of my boss', Bob O'Sullivan, Real Spirit. Real Spirit had a ton of speed and we always expected to be in the first three but I jumped well and was able to hold horses out - when all hell broke loose. I could hear jockeys screaming like a bunc of Arapohos on the attack, horses hitting the fence and suddenly inside 150 metres Teddy was outside me on the John Edlignton-trained Saskatoon. - which had come from barrier 16!

We straightened up and Teddy was away and gone and the heavily backed commodity won easily with me running third. As we pulled up after the race, rival jockeys were seething and telling Ted in no uncertain terms what they thought of him getting a half length on them and then crunching them.

One particular jockey was terribly politically incorrect and called Ted a "slanty eyed c***." As quick as a whip Ted turned to him and said "that's what happened, it's these eyes I cannot see much out of them!"

On another occasion I made a very bad mistake one day at Canberra of going up inside Teddy coming to the turn travelling well on Little Brutus in a 1400 metres race. Ted took one look over, and began to lay all over me when he realised I was going well, and for 50 metres it sort of resembled the LA T-Birds playing the Roller Derby. It ended up with him elbowing me in the shoulder and neck so I lost my cool and just barged out - turning Teddy sideways and his mount, Diamond Tip moved out sharply and collected Bon Snark (Tony Marney) which amost came down.

I told my boss on returning to scale what happened and he told me to tell the stewards - and an enquiry ensued which spilled over to the steward's offices in Dickson the following Tuesday. Of course, Ted pleaded I was riding like I was in a camp draft and it was dangerous the way I barged out and he would never elbow anyone (of course) and I got a month!

Ted was associated with some great horses not the least being Arwon (part-owned by his brothers and on whom Teddy won his early races), and even in his late fifties he was riding winners in town, the last being on Saintette at Randwick for Paul Sutherland. he rode with great success in India and Ceylon and it did not matter where Ted went - if they were good enough they would win. If he had his punters on - they were unbeatable.

Whatever story you hear about Ted Doon, you will never hear one that is not reverant of his ability as a horseman. He belonged to an era where jockeys like Jack Thompson, George Moore, Darby Munro and co were not only great rider, but great horseman. They had to educate young horses, learn to ride them if they bucked and to teach them to be racehorses.

I know there would have been no prouder people on Canberra racecourse yesterday than jockey Kevin Sweeney and former jockey Ronny Bundy after Moorings Royal won the Ted Doon Memorial. Kevin. like myself, grew up in the "Doon era" - where he ruled over all he surveyed in Canberra. Ronny, was at the time apprenticed to Wal Coady at Warwick Farm and he travelled to Canberra often to ride in those days. Ronny's lovely wife Lynda trains Moorings Royal.

Max Presnell got it right when he entitled his story - "There'll only ever be one Teddy Doon."