FEATURE STORY
WHAT CAME NEXT FOR HEY DOC BY SARAH MARINOS
Retired Australian Guineas winner Hey Doc is learning to take life at a slower pace in the Victorian countryside. There was just something about Hey Doc that caught trainer Tony McEvoy’s eye. He first saw the yearling at the 2015 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale and bought him for $85,000.
“Dad just loved Hey Doc. He stood out,” recalled Calvin McEvoy.
“Some people might have thought we were mad paying $85,000 then – but that turned out to be a bargain!” Under the watchful eyes of Tony and Calvin McEvoy, Hey Doc became a champion and before he retired in July last year. He had four Group 1 wins, including the 2017 Australian Guineas. That race was an especially sweet victory for the McEvoys because it was the first win under the McEvoy Mitchell Racing banner and Tony McEvoy’s first Group 1 win as a trainer in his own right. “Dad won Group 1s previously but after going out on his own, Hey Doc was his first winner and he was my first Group 1 winner, too,” said Calvin. “He was a good horse to train – very strong and we knew he had a lot of talent straightaway.” Hey Doc’s achievements on the track are all the more impressive considering he came back from a number of significant injuries and lengthy breaks away from racing. “At one point he pulled a muscle in his chest and took some time to come good. He also had fetlock problems that we had to monitor. He had a few long breaks and to come back and be as good as he was every time shows his strength and determination,” said Calvin. In April last year, Hey Doc ran his last race in the RN Irwin Stakes at Morphettville. He finished eighth and the McEvoys decided it was time for him to retire after winning more than $3 million in prizemoney.
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