By GEORGIA WESTGARTH
HE already had shares in six interstate race horses but Marcus Doyle can now watch the progress of his newest gelding from Jean and Bruce Purcell’s Cranbourne stables after shares in their promising three-year-old were raffled off.
Mr Doyle, from Ferntree Gully, was announced the winner of Independent Syndications’ ‘Win a Share in a Race Horse’ October raffle.
The raffle was to raise money for well-known Cranbourne horse training family, the Purcells, after a sudden death in the family.
Owner of Independent Syndications, Sharon Lawrence from Pakenham, said once she heard the Purcell family’s tragic news she “jumped into action”.
“We decided to help Jean and Bruce out with funeral costs and organised a fund-raiser with the winner owning a five per cent stake and training fees valued at $5000 in a racehorse.”
Now a part-owner in Purcell born and bred chestnut, ‘Oscar Dee’, Mr Doyle said he was “pretty excited about it”.
“He’s a beautiful looking horse very athletic and trainer Bruce is an absolutely fantastic, hardworking, honest guy and when I saw the tragic circumstances for the raffle I bought four tickets,” Mr Doyle said.
Buying his tickets just 12 hours before the raffle closed Mr Doyle said he was shocked when Ms Lawrence called with the news.
“Now I have shares in seven horses – I think I was more excited about it than my wife was but I’m sure she’ll warm up to it,” Mr Doyle said.
Oscar Dee will be running in a trial race on Monday 9 November and Mr Purcell said he has a positive feeling about the young horse- having been bred from a “fighting” family.
“We bred Oscar’s mother and some of her foals have won a few races and of course we named him after that family with a boxing name- ‘Oscar Dee’ is named after Oscar De La Hoya the professional boxer,” Mr Purcell said.
A relative of Purcell’s ‘Prize Fighter’ who won the Group Three CSA Stake Mr Purcell said Oscar Dee is very similar to Prize Fighter whose nickname was Tyson after Mike Tyson.
“Tyson was a little buggar, he would kick everything and was a little spooky and touchy just like Mike Tyson,” he said.
With fight in his blood Oscar Dee will be watched with a keen eye by his newest fan- Mr Doyle.
