‘Way over the odds’: Veteran backs race-fit flyer to shock in $2m race

14 hours ago 2

By Craig Kerry

October 24, 2025 — 5.00pm

Veteran Hawkesbury trainer Mike Van Gestel isn’t a fan of trials, stables that resemble “prisons”, or social media.

The 81-year-old, the father of Hong Kong and former Racing NSW chief steward Marc, trains only his own horses, his way, without worrying about what anyone else thinks.

Dark Glitter, left, taking ground off winner Manaal late in the group 2 Sheraco Stakes at Rosehill on September 13.

Van Gestel, though, believes his fast-finishing mare Dark Glitter, which faces her biggest test on Saturday in the $2 million The Invitation (1400m) at Randwick, deserves more respect.

A $67 (Sportsbet) chance for Saturday, Dark Glitter finished a half-length second in the Sheraco Stakes last month to Manaal, a $4.40 shot on Saturday, and was even closer when runner-up to Firestorm, $17 for the Invitation, in February in the Millie Fox Stakes.

The Invitation is another group 2 for mares and fillies but will be Dark Glitter’s biggest prizemoney target, and Van Gestel hopes she can earn not just a cheque, but a place on the racing “radar”.

“What’s it take to get noticed?” Van Gestel said.

“Flying under the radar? No, the radar has been on the whole time and the lights are on, but no one is looking.

“She’s competed with some of the horses there and we’ve beaten a fair few of them.

“When she ran second to Manaal, she was quite unlucky. Manaal got all the breaks and there wasn’t much in it.

“In the Millie Fox, she should have won that easily from Firestorm. At Newcastle [when fifth in the Tibbie Stakes], she would have won if we stayed on the fence.

“She just needs an uninterrupted run, and we think she’s way over the odds.

“If she wins tomorrow, she deserves every bit of it, and it wouldn’t surprise me. But the hype is everywhere else.”

The five-year-old has put herself in the Invitation frame with consistent performances, and racing.

Since debuting with a win at Canberra on January 27 last year, the daughter of Spieth has raced 36 times, for five wins and 10 placings, in 21 months. She hasn’t had a trial since before her debut, and, after Saturday, she would have raced on average every 14 days, outside a 17-week spell and one 10-week let-up.

Dark Glitter, though, has thrived, finishing strongly in her past four runs, all in mares stakes company.

“I think I’ve got her spot on, I can’t get her any fitter,” said Van Gestel, who bred Dark Glitter from Berning Affair, a mare he bought for $12,000.

“We are doing our best, totally concentrating on her. We look after her. We’ve only got a couple of horses and we spoil them.

“We’ve got a property here and she goes straight in the paddock for a couple of days. We’ve got things the big ones haven’t got. They’ve got prisons and they sit in prisons. My horses go for a walk and we treat them like horses.

“I think she’s looking the best so far. The 1400 is a step up. She will get back a bit but maybe not as far back as before and she’s got a hope.”

As for trials, he said: “Once they know what to do, what’s the point?

“If you get a good horse and you get out 10 lengths in front [in a trial], what’s the purpose? I do unofficial jump outs to educate the horses, but once they know how to jump, and she jumps OK, she just can’t get going early ... there’s no need for jump outs and trials.

“I haven’t got any paying owners, so I don’t need to impress anybody. If we lose, we lose, and we try again next time. It doesn’t matter to me. All the trainers are different because it’s all commercial and image, highlights and social media. I don’t do social media ... you’re lucky I took your call.”

Tyler Schiller has the ride from gate 12 and Van Gestel hoped for a midfield run and a clear shot at the leaders late.

Portelli’s fingers crossed for Queen Of Clubs

Warwick Farm trainer Gary Portelli was looking more to the ATC Oaks in the autumn, rather than the VRC Oaks in two weeks, with Queen Of Clubs, even if she can bounce back from a cardiac arrhythmia in the group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) on Saturday.

Queen Of Clubs was top of markets for the November 6 VRC Oaks (2500m) when she resumed this preparation and she appeared on track with third in the Silver Shadow (1200m) and fourth in the Tea Rose Stakes (1400m). However, the Maurice filly then finished eighth in the 1600m Flight Stakes on October 4 when suffering a cardiac arrhythmia.

She was $16 (Sportsbet) for the rise to the 2000m at Randwick on Saturday, after Portelli elected for the group 1 test rather than the 1600m Callander-Presnell.

He was unsure how Queen Of Clubs would bounce back from the setback, but he had no doubts about her potential. Ash Morgan rides from gate eight.

“You put a line through that last start and if she came here after running top three, you’d say she’s a legitimate chance here, but the price reflects that little question mark,” he said.

“Everyone is probably going to hold it over her now that she’s had that run over the mile that wasn’t what we were looking for, but the positive for us was she did recover quickly. Her heart rate was right again by the time we got home.

“It wasn’t a long period where she was distressed and she didn’t go that badly in the run anyway. She was only beaten six. Sometimes they can have that heart arrhythmia and finish tailed off. And she hasn’t teared past the winning post, so there wasn’t much stress involved.

“It’s not ideal but it is what it is.”

He said the door was still open to the Victorian Oaks, but he believed the Sydney edition in the autumn loomed as a more suitable target.

“I’m mindful that she’s had a big preparation,” he said.

“When she won at Rosehill, she had a long preparation to that, then two weeks in a paddock. Then she ran in those group races, so she hasn’t had a break in a long time.

“And when you look at her form, she might like a bit of sting out of the ground, and she might get that in the autumn, so I’m mindful of going too far this prep and not having a horse for next year. She’d want to be saying ‘I’m odds-on in the Oaks’ for me to be running her.”

Portelli also has Encap in the $1 million Five Diamonds Prelude.

“He’s racing as good as he can, but the races aren’t unfolding the way we want them to, so we’re really hoping to see a truly run 1500 and he can get into it,” he said.

He said Kintyre’s work this week indicated he “was ready to peak” in the fourth, while Matima had the blinkers added for a “throw at the stumps” in the listed Brian Crowley Stakes.

Meanwhile, jockey Chad Schofield injured his right knee in a fall at trials on Friday and will be checked before riding at Randwick on Saturday.