By Adam Pengilly
Wizard of Odds: Live Odds, Form and Alerts for all Racing
Mitchell Bell just couldn't bring himself to watch it. He had heard about it en route to hospital – and shed a tear in the process, mostly for the agony mixed with mild ecstasy. But actually seeing it? That was one thing he couldn't bring himself to do.
"I was sitting there and we were having a few drinks," Bell said of a sojourn in a Singleton restaurant run by one of Artlee's owners. "And it was after dinner and they said, 'How about we put on the replays? How about we put The [Country] Championships first and then we'll watch Scone?'
"They went to put on [the Luskin Star Stakes from] Scone and I said, 'No, don't bother. I don't want to watch it.' "
Back in the saddle: Mitchell Bell and Artlee team up again at Randwick on Saturday.Credit: Getty Images
Bell eventually did. With a little persuasion. Call it a cleansing experience, but it worked. Helped to erase the painful memories from almost a year ago – nursing not only a broken hand but a somewhat broken heart when hearing Artlee had romped to victory under stand-in rider Richard Bensley in a race that was supposed to be the horse's graduation into the big time.
It should have been Bell's biggest moment on horseback – and just his second stakes win – rather than that of another no-frills country saddle star such as Bensley. Them's the breaks, as they say.
"It affected Mitchell a lot," Artlee's trainer Todd Willan said. "He was upset for a long time. I don't think he watched the replay [for months].
"He listened to the race on the way [to hospital] and I think he had a tear in his eye. He might have been more happy for us. But he was definitely gutted though."
Willan and Bell shouldn't be out of place at Randwick on Saturday, the climax to the autumn carnival, where the inaugural Country Championships winner will resume in the Hall Mark Stakes.
It is one stepping stone to the Stradbroke Handicap. Another solidification of the friendship born of their days as apprentices in the Hunter and the north-west.
Willan's riding career didn't reach 100 races when it ended more than a decade ago. Bell is still going strong. But the different avenues they've walked down in the racing industry have note split what is becoming one of the most popular combinations, thanks to the deeds of Artlee.
"We've always been thereabouts and close mates," Willan said. "After the races at Muswellbrook, every meeting, him and his partner Holly stop in to have a beer as mates do.
"I actually started off my apprenticeship at Muswellbrook under Pat Farrell, and Mitchell was just up the road at Tamworth with Mark Mason. And then he was riding work with Patinack Farm in Sydney when I was at Crown Lodge."
Naturally, some heavy hitters have come calling for the ride on Artlee, predominantly when Willan had planned a snatch-and-grab mission to Flemington on Derby Day last year.
The answer was an easy one. Even if the result wasn't what the Muswellbrook trainer had hoped, claiming Artlee "wasn't a happy horse from the moment he got off the truck".
"It's not only that [loyalty], it's the trust you get as well," Bell said. "I think the trust – that's more important than anything – and then the loyalty comes from that. That's the same with my trust in him. He's a great horseman and a great trainer.
"And that loyalty Todd has shown me – especially in these big races – it's hard for a provincial rider to get up to that status."
Apart from Bell, there is only one person that regularly rides Artlee: Willan. Meticulous in his preparation honed after working at Crown Lodge, Willan wants an intimate knowledge of how his horses are going. Artlee? "Exceptional" on Tuesday.
"He knows exactly where he's at and when I get on his back that gives me confidence as well," Bell said. "It's been the highlight for me to be there [on Derby Day], especially on a day like that. It was pretty special. It was a good experience for both of us. We can take a lot out of that day."
It should hold them in good stead for the $150,000 Hall Mark Stakes, littered with classy sprinters ready to trek north for the winter riches.
Artlee is a $15 chance with Ladbrokes. On the strength of two slick barrier trial wins – one where Bell made the mad dash to Scone to ride him before fulfilling race engagements later in the day – maybe he should be shorter.
"We might be setting it a bit high, but it's been well known we'd like to go to the Stradbroke," Willan said. "He's got to warrant a start though and prove it's worth going there. There's a few lead-up races there that we'll get a good on him.
"But we've had owners knocking down the door to get horses in with us – and that's thanks to Artlee. We've always maintained a pretty high strike rate – except for this year having had no luck at all – and the 'house full' sign has been on the front gate for a while now."
