Rivergirl Bella finally delivers - and Phil kicks himself for not being there or having a punt

Delia Cook was lying in bed last evening, sick as a dog with a high temperature and a headache, when the phone rang.

“Congratulations” her friend said, to which she replied: “What for?”

“Your horse Rivergirl Bella has just won at Cambridge.”

Delia admits her first thought was ‘Oh, no,’ as she knew her husband Phil wouldn’t have had a dollar on her.

Phil, 79, who has been crazy about racing since his first win 40 years ago with a horse called Little River, was pottering around outside and had obviously forgotten about the race.

But, while “feeling like death warmed up”, Delia knew what it would mean to Phil, breeding his first winner out of their 20-race winner Ideal Alice after years of trying. So she concoted a plan to casually suggest they watch the race when he came inside, not letting on that she knew the result when logging on to their computer.

“I’m very good at concealing things from my husband - after 40 years you learn a few tricks. I deliberately didn’t watch it first because it’s fun to watch races together.”

When driver Peter Ferguson had Rivergirl Bella humming along in the lead, Phil started to hope that maybe she could break her 15-race losing duck.

“But my language got a bit blue on the corner. I thought he’d gone too soon and he wasn’t getting away on them.”

Phil needn’t have worried as the filly extended her lead in the run home, Ferguson not even activating the removeable earplugs as she scored by three and three-quarter lengths in a slick 2:41.43 for the 2200 metres.

Phil admits to having mixed feelings, thrilled that she was no longer a maiden yet kicking himself for not going to Cambridge or at least backing her.

And while it’s taken 15 months for the Lazarus filly to show her best, Phil says he never lost hope.

“If Ray (Green) had told me she was no good, I’d have got rid of her. But he always said she had ability but wasn’t giving it to us.”

That, at least, was an improvement on the reports of Ideal Alice’s first three foals, the first of whom, Major Thomas, couldn’t win in 18 starts, and the next two fillies who didn’t even make it to the races.

Phil Cook greets Riverman Sam after an earlier win at Cambridge. PHOTO: Chanelle Lawson.Given Ideal Alice won a Group I Mares’ Classic at Gloucester Park in Western Australia and $435,000 in stakes, Delia says it’s been terribly disappointing that she hasn’t produced anything of note in the breeding paddock.

“They all looked good but didn’t have that zip. We’d almost given up breeding from her but Graeme Henley at Alabar suggested Pebble Beach would be a good cross and she’s in foal to him.

“Once racing is in your blood you don’t seem to be able to walk away from it. You’ve always got that little bit of hope and away you go again.”

Phil was back out in their Clevedon paddock today, patting Ideal Alice on the nose, and perhaps wondering if Rivergirl Bella might be able to reproduce the effort next month at Cambridge when his mother-in-law Joan Grice celebrates her 100th birthday on June 23.

Phil Cook with Joan Grice on her 96th birthday.They enjoyed one of their best nights on the racetrack there in 2022 when Riverman Sam scored a hat-trick and Grice was there celebrating her 96th birthday.

She was there again last year, capping her 99th birthday bash with a ride in the mobile car, “proud as punch”.

Delia says Joan has become a lot more frail now and they might have to settle for sponsoring a race and watching it on TV.

But one thing’s for sure, Phil will be at Alexandra Park tonight to watch Sugar Ray Lincoln, whom he has a share in, because it’s always better being at the track and sharing in the fun of Lincoln Farms’ hospitality room.

“And racing is all about having fun.”