NRL star Ryan Papenhuyzen - fullback for the Melbourne Storm, is a
co-owner of a racehorse named Chocolatier with Dynamic Syndications and he also has three greyhounds.
Ryan Papenhuyzen - Winner of the 2020 NRL Grand Final Clive Churchill Medal
Ryan recently jumped into the hot seat for the
'Punter of the Week' feature on industry dedicated website
Punters.com where he was interviewed by Jason Lamb.
'Paps' was asked
18 questions to do with all things racing!
1. What or who got you interested in racing?
My older cousins probably got me into the punting side of racing. They always used to throw a Quaddie on around Christmas time and I was always fascinated over the thrill - the way they carried on like peanuts! I’d always pick the horse in the blue silks, so that's where my interest in racing started.
That bit of interest grew into studying the form and trying to find a winner using my own judgment and methods.
2. Do you own any horses/dogs at the moment? If so, are they any good?
I've got
three dogs - none of them are world-beaters but I probably had a soft spot for Gary (
Gary's Gift) when he was running around. I hand-picked him out of the litter and he was my first greyhound. Gary was owned by myself, my cousins, my old man and friends. It made for some pretty fun nights and some good wins! He retired this year.
Absolute Ruby is going around in WA at the moment - she goes pretty good. Has had 50-odd starts and placed in half of them.
The other dog I own is
Kiss Me Kate. Not going to lie, she's a little slow. Has had four starts in Tassie without a placing. Might be back in Victoria now, I think.
Ryan Papenhuyzen is a co-Owner of CHOCOLATIER seen here winning at Canterbury 27/5
The one horse I own is
Chocolatier - a 6YO gelding with
Dynamic Syndications. It's been great fun to be involved in him. He won a race in the city last preparation and should be up and running again soon!
3. What's been your most memorable win on the punt?
Backing Rekindling very early in Melbourne Cup markets resulted in a decent collect.
4. What's been your sickest beat, or at least one hard-luck yarn that comes to mind?
Have had a couple of big Quaddies go under in the last leg.
The worst though would have to be not backing Gary’s Gift when he won at 40/1.
He was coming off a few unplaced runs and was dropping back from 400m to 307m. I thought I'd made the right decision to stay out when he missed the kick, but then he got the best run you've ever seen along the rail and ended up bolting in. It was a weird feeling after the race! Gary went from last to first at $41.
5. Who is the best punter at The Storm? Who is the worst?
Best punter ... no clear standout there.
Worst punter ... definitely a few more candidates for this one! Cameron Munster and Brandon Smith would be right up there.
6. Best punting advice you've received?
Do your form before looking at the odds - that way you're not swayed by the market. I try to write up a top three and then I go and look at what they’re paying and back the overs. It's a good way to find genuine value.
7. Worst punting advice?
Keep backing the favourites until one wins. Keep diggin'.
8. Favourite bet type?
I'm a sucker for a multi. Just love picking a handful of horses throughout the day and throwing them into a little multi. If I’m in front of the TV all day, I’ll also have a little play at trifectas.
9. Favourite track as a punter?
If I'm punting on the horses, it would have to be The Valley. I've just had a bit of luck with a few decent winners there.
The form doesn't take as long to do there when a lot of the time you only need to pick from horses that will settle in the first half of the field.
People complain about them, but I actually like the biased tracks.
Dogs, I like Wenty Park. I've had some cracker nights out there doing the Randwick into Wenty Park double.
10. Hardest track to find a winner?
I've never had any luck in Brisbane.
11. Favourite jockey?
James McDonald is my go-to jock.
12. Jockey you just can't ever catch?
Hugh Bowman, aside from when he was riding Winx obviously. I’ve just never been able to pick him.
13. Any form quirks or gear changes that you always pay close attention to?
Not really a form quirk, but I always like horses coming back in grade.
It's a pretty quick one to study but seems to work alright for me. I'm also big on checking speed maps to see where they'll settle.
From my Valley answer you can probably tell I like horses up on the pace. If they don't tick the boxes, I generally won't back them, unless I've had a couple of beers.
14. Best punting/racing-related saying you've heard?
I love hearing the caller cry “he/she puts a gap on them.” Just makes me feel good for whoever owns the horse or dog, it's a bloody great feeling.
15. Favourite horse, past and present?
Past would have to be Winx - just an absolute champion. I watched plenty of her races live at the track and just loved the buzz and the 'people’s horse' feeling.
16. Go-to beer?
Furphy or Great Northern.
17. Best player in the NRL?
Cameron Smith.
18. Biggest pest in the change rooms?
Cameron Munster.
Thanks for the chat Ryan!
Hoofnote: Chocolatier trialled impressively on Wednesday morning 25/11 at Gosford when a close-up 3rd for the team at his second trial of the preparation.
He’s now ready to resume racing and is pleasing trainer Jason Deamer.
We expect he will offer a lot of fun to
Ryan Papenhuyzen and his
fellow co-owners in the coming weeks.