THE HEATHCOTE STABLE LOADS UP TWO BARRELS AND TAKES AIM AT THE RAMORNIE HANDICAP

By Graham Potter | Monday, July 14, 2025

The Big Goodbye hasn’t left the building yet.

The 2023 Ramornie Handicap winner is back at Grafton for another crack at the race he won at double figure odds when chasing home from a wide barrier draw two years ago.

In that race the Robert Heathcote trained The Big Goodbye was good enough to keep Far Too Easy, a subsequent Kosciuszko winner, and Ranges, a previous Ramornie winner (in 2022), back in second and third place respectively.

The Big Goodbye had finished second to his stable companion Prince of Boom in the Group 3 W J Healey in the run prior to his Ramornie success and he was tested up to Group 3 company again two starts later in the George Moore but found the going too tough there against formidable opposition which included the likes of Zoustyle and Rothfire.

The Big Goodbye did remain good enough to go on and claim a second Listed race win in the Ascot Handicap and a runner-up finish (for the second year in a row) in the Chief De Beers behind his stable companion Golden Boom.

Following the 2024 Winter carnival, The Big Goodbye has been raced sparingly.

Now into his campaign as a seven-year-old, a two-race shot at Summer Carnival feature races (in the Bribie and the Falvelon – both at Listed level) resulted in unplaced finishes and the same result was in play when The Big Goodbye came out again in February and, not for the first time, he finished on the fringe of the placings.

The run to note now … the one of most relevance … is The Big Goodbye’s last start where he raced first-up in his third attempt to land a win in the Chief De Beer. The son of Host was in the race for a long way there before eventually having to settle for fourth place less than two lengths behind the winner.

That could turn out to be a perfect warm-up for the Ramornie.

But the Heathcote stable hasn’t left their Ramornie challenge there.

The stable, in fact, poses a double threat to their opposition in the Ramornie with Prince Of Boom also due to face the starter.

Now a six-year-old, Prince Of Boom was seemingly a star in the making early in his career when he five out of his first eight starts, including the Group 2 Champagne Classic and the Group 3 Gold Coast Guineas.

While there was the odd misfire along the way after that, Prince of Boom continued in fine enough fettle to win the Listed Ascot Handicap, the Group 2 Moreton Cup and the Group 3 WJ Healey, as well run in elite races such as the Doomben 10 000 (in which he finished a highly creditable sixth behind Giga Kick) and The Stradbroke (where he failed to feature).

For the Ramornie, Prince Of Boom thus presents a double-edged profile.

On the downside, he has not saluted in fourteen runs dating all the way back to June 2023. That suggests he has more than a bit of ground to make up if he is to have a say here.

On the possible upside … and this might be difficult as a six-year-old … if he can reclaim anywhere his best form that would certainly make his claims strong enough to be a real contender for Ramornie honours.

Complicating the chances of both of the Heathcote trained runners though, is an unkind barrier draw.

The Big Goodbye has drawn barrier number twelve while Prince Of Boom has been handed the visitor’s draw of barrier twenty out of twenty.

When the gates open that problem will be for the jockeys to sort out. Cejay Graham rides The Big Goodbye. Aaron Bullock has the reins on Prince Of Boom.

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