It was a case of Good Will Punting when the horse owned by A-list star Matt Damon saluted in a maiden at Tamworth in north-east NSW on Thursday.
The $1.50 favourite Dale – named after the character from the iconic comedy movie Step Brothers – was in trouble early in race four on the card before the gelding won by almost a length.
Dale, who triumphed in his fifth career start, is part-owned by Damon, 54, and his daughter Isabella.
Paul Messara and Leah Gavranich train the promising three-year-old out of Scone, in the Upper Hunter region of NSW.
Having a famed Hollywood actor with shares in Dale has been an unforgettable experience for Messara.
How he ended up training Dale remains a source of amusement for Messara.
It was a case of Good Will Punting when the horse owned by A-list star Matt Damon (pictured) saluted in a maiden at Tamworth on Thursday
The $1.50 favourite Dale – named after the character (pictured right) from the iconic comedy movie Step Brothers – was in trouble early in race four on the card before the gelding won by almost a length
Damon part owns the gelding, while his daughter Isabella has shares in the three-year-old
The Hollywood star loves a day at at the track (pictured right, at Derby Day at Flemington in 2023)
‘It’s a bit of a long story really,’ Messara told SEN Radio.
‘It was a late night over in LA and I get a phone call saying we’ve had this great idea and we want to buy a horse, but the stipulation is it must be called Dale.
‘The story goes that basically Matt and his daughter bonded during her teenage years watching the movie Step Brothers, starring the two characters Dale and Brennan.
‘Dale is their favourite.’
It is understood Messara met Damon through a mutual friend, Paul O’Brien, who also has shares in Dale.
Messara first met Damon at the Melbourne Cup Carnival two years ago and the pair hit it off instantly.
‘The one thing about Matt Damon is he doesn’t know he is Matt Damon,’ Messara told News Corp.
‘He just wants to enjoy the fun and banter that goes with owning a racehorse.’
Damon is an Oscar-winning actor who has starred in films including Good Will Hunting, Saving Private Ryan, the Jason Bourne and Ocean’s trilogies, The Talented Mr Ripley and Ford v Ferrari.
