The Talking Toff saluted an emotion-filled win at the Bendigo Cup on Wednesday, October 26 for the Cornish-Gaskin stables, 24 hours after the passing of beloved racing figure Norm Gaskin.
Jockey Neil Farley guided the the six-year-old to a dramatic victory in the Benchmark 70 over 1600m for Echuca’s Michael Cornish and Donna Gaskin as they mourned the passing of Gaskin’s father, Norm.
Speaking to racing.com following The Talking Toff’s fairytale win, an emotional Cornish paid tribute to Gaskin.
“Norm was very big for us and our stable,” Cornish said.
“The owners rang us up and said it’s okay to scratch it, but we said ‘if we scratch this horse, Norm would be absolutely livid’.
“That’s the type of person he was; he was every part of the stable and he’s still with us now.”
Cornish explained the impact his father-in-law had on the stable, describing a passionate member of the racing community.
“Even in Bendigo he was a big part of the racing community,” Cornish said.
“He was our accountant, he was our instructor in life one would say, he’d let us know when we made a mistake.
“He was just every part of us and it was just a credit to him as well that we’re here now. When we moved from Kyneton to Echuca, he was a part of it every step of the way.
“Right up to the last couple of days we were still talking horses. He’s going to be a big loss.”
Coming off a last-start sixth at Caulfield on October 15, The Talking Toff was slow off the mark before finishing strong down the final straight, winning by a nose over Kaituku and Play On Words for a fourth career victory.
“I spoke to Neil (Farley) and said ‘Normie’s rising with you today mate, he’ll help you steer it’,” Cornish said.
“We felt last start was a huge run and it was a big class drop again today. He’s a tricky horse but I think with Normie’s help today we got him home.”
Cornish also made mention of the current flood crisis in Echuca.
“We lease a farm and it’s gone underwater,“ Cornish said.
“They drew a line in the sand; a lot of locals aren’t happy with that.
“It’s probably not my place to comment but I’ve seen some of the owners, one’s house is going under today.
“To see them evacuated and the people on the other side of the line is a tough pill to swallow.”