The name of the ground-breaking miRunners colt, Saganaki, was announced last week and, fittingly, the name was put forward by one of the colt’s co-owners, Brooke Wade.
Saganaki is the first colt of the miRunners experience which allows everyday Australians to get into horse ownership with shares only $165 (plus $15 a month for training and management).
RECENT ARTICLE: Saganaki nominated for Golden Slipper
Brooke Wade personifies the miRunners growing family – a lifelong love of race horses, family connections that touch horse racing at a number of levels, and now, thanks to miRunners, finally able to be an owner herself.
“The name came from a special dish served at a wonderful Greek restaurant called Apollo based in Potts Point in Sydney,” she explains.
“Saganaki is in fact a Greek entrée, created from melting Greek cheese in a super-hot copper pan, and serving it with honey and oregano.
“I love the food and I love the restaurant, so our colt will forever remind me of some very special experiences. But of course, it also plays on his sire’s name, Real Saga!”
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An overwhelmingly popular choice amongst the Australian public who choose the winning name, was Saganaki a moment of inspiration, or a longer creative process?
“When the competition first appeared, my Mum, who is also an owner, suggested I enter. So the thought sat in the back of my mind for a while and various names popped into my mind as I was driving to meetings, or at work, or doing other things.
Brooke has loved horse racing for most of her life. Her father is former jockey John Wade, and her grandfather was jockey Billy Wade. John Wade regularly rode famed two-year-old Luskin Star, regarded by many as the best two-year old ever bred in Australia.
RECENT NEWS: Australian public names ground-breaking racehorse
Luskin Star won eight of his nine starts as a two-year-old, and came second in that ninth race. And father and son won consecutive races at Randwick in 1967. John rode Luskin Start to victory in the 1977 Golden Slipper, under the watchful eye of trainer Max Lees, father of Saganaki trainers Kris Lees.
As a young girl, Brooke helped her father at his stables cleaning the horse boxes and mixing the feed, and she was a regular race-goer as a seven- and eight-year old.
“I loved races. Hearing the horses and the crowds just thrilled me as a little girl. While my friends were playing sport on a Saturday afternoon, I was trackside at Newcastle!”
But it wasn’t until miRunners was launched that Brooke felt able to join the thoroughbred owners’ community. Brooke bought a unit in Saganaki to share the horse-owning experience with her Mum.
RELEVANT ARTICLE: Owners visit Saganaki at Emeran Park
“I decided to buy a unit as a bonding thing with my Mum. Mum is an avid horse race lover. No one loves horses more than Mum! It was going to mean a lot to her for me to buy a unit to share the experience with her, and it was an opportunity to do something with Mum that she’s passionate about.
“For me, I love the updates we get from miRunners, buying the unit was smooth and seamless and I knew I could enjoy the experience without worrying about the cost. The monthly payments simply happen, and it’s exciting to be back in the horse racing world, and of course horse ownership for the first time. It’s a great way for me to return to this.
“The miRunners experience creates a great emotional connection with the horse. We get to choose his name, and his silk colours, and that’s obviously very special.”
