Man Of Action is, well, exactly that. The battle-hardened pacer is no kids pony, more like a cranky old bugger who’s beyond quirky and set in his own ways.
He is a New Zealand-bred gelded son of super sire Bettors Delight – Grace Way (by Dream Away) and ranks as a brother or half-brother to the likes of Three Ways (38 wins, $350,000), Forgotten Highway (12 wins, $153,000), Shanway (20 wins, $281,000), Make Way (15 wins, $175,000) and the promising Dunkalledy (one win from five starts).
He arrived on Australian soil back in August 2020, when joining the stables of Al Barnes.
Under the care of Barnes, Man Of Action, or better known as “Ramsey” managed just the solitary victory (Albion Park) from 31 starts before being moved onto the Doug Manger stables.
But the form didn’t improve, and he went winless from 13 starts.
It was during his time under the care of Manger that Man Of Action caught the attention of noted farrier Mat Wright.
“He had his ways, that’s for sure. I was doing the shoeing for Doug and Karen Manger and he caused some issues. So much so, he kicked Karen three times within the space of a week and that forced the change. Doug offered me Ramsey, and I was prepared to give him a go,” Wright said.
The 34-year-old horseman is the son of Gavin Wright and has been surrounded by horses his entire life, the noted farrier has built his clientele over the past couple of years and is the farrier for the Ipswich Turf Club meetings.
In between his shoeing duties, Wright works a team of dozen pacers with the assistance of father plus Clint Sneddon at their Lockyer Waters property.
“I just thought he was worth a shot, I wasn’t expecting to transform him into anything super special but given his pedigree and overall record, his efforts in New Zealand were quite impressive so I just thought I’d give him a go,” Wright said.
“Aside from his grumpiness, he’s actually been a great fit for the stable and we’re all fully aware of how to handle him. Dad has handled far worse than this guy, so he’s been able to fit into our routine well.
“He enjoys his work, cops plenty too but we found he prefers to work by himself. We do a lot of canter work with him because our track is quite a heavy sand style. Given his strong work ethic, he has a good appetite and drinks regularly.”
Man Of Action had his first start for Wright at Redcliffe on February 23, 2022, and finished fifth without threatening behind Torque In Control.
His maiden victory for Wright came a few months later via Redcliffe on August 29 at double figure odds.
Upon reflection, it was the first of 12 victories to date and Wright isn’t surprised with the results that have come his way.
“The maiden victory probably took a little longer than I was hoping for and at the time, I wasn’t sure how far we could go with him, but he’s just kept on keeping on. Funnily enough, the angrier he becomes, the better he races,” Wright said.
“Over time, his form tends to be better during the cooler months. He doesn’t handle the heat all that well. On raceday, after he’s performed, it’s normally a two-man job to strip the gear off him.
“I’ve tinkered with his front hooves over the years, in particular just trying to find the perfect balance. He’s always brushed a knee and while he’s handled that, the square toe aluminium shoe tends to be the right fit for him.”
Man Of Action has posted victories across all three tracks in South East Queensland (Albion Park, Redcliffe and Marburg) while also competing at Gatton and Kilcoy.
He’s been a regular on the show circuit with trips to the RNA (Ekka), Toowoomba, Nanango, Gatton and Kingaroy.
The list of drivers to partner “Ramsey” under the care of Wright includes Sneddon, Nathan Dawson, Leonard Cain, Pete McMullen, Brendan Barnes, Chloe Butler, Shane Graham, Mitch Turnbull, Angus Garrard, Trent Dawson and Jack Chapple plus New Zealand juniors Crystal Hackett and Wilson House.
“He performs well for most drivers, but I’d have to say that Nathan Dawson and Chloe Butler seem to have a good rapport with him, I can’t explain why but they just do. I think Nathan has won half a dozen times with him,” Wright said.
“All drivers have provided plenty of feedback over the years, good and bad but, as a trainer, that’s what you’re looking for so hopefully, you can make the adjustments to get the best results.
“He’s performed on all shapes and sized tracks but there’s no doubt he performs best at Albion Park, the bigger track certainly helps his gait and gives him good confidence.”
Man Of Action has won four times at Albion Park, four times at Marburg and seven times at Redcliffe.
In New Zealand, he scored victories at both Alexandra Park, Auckland and Cambridge.
As it stands, under the care of Wright, Man Of Action has won 14 races and managed from 30 minor placings from just over 100 starts while banking close to $70,000.
“He’s exceeded expectations, not in my wildest dreams did I expect the results that I’ve got because I thought he’d be the type I’d turnover quickly given his odd behavioural patterns. I originally leased him from Doug Manger but once Doug got his purchase price back, he signed him over to Dad and he’s always the first to congratulate us following any victory.
“He’s the best I’ve trained in my career to date while Aunty Frances deserves special mention too, she’s racked up twelve victories for me but possesses a better strike rate compared to Ramsey.
“The plan moving forward with Ramsey is to focus on a metropolitan victory at Albion Park, I believe he’s capable of landing his qualifying race and then maybe a Band 5 event. Well, that’s the dream anyways.”
Man Of Action boasts a record of 17 wins and 44 minor placings from 187 career starts with earnings above $117,000.
So, expect more action to come from both “Ramsey” and Wright.
