Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)
By Jess de Lautour, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
Tony Rider experienced the extreme highs and lows of breeding thoroughbreds within a matter of hours on Wednesday.
During the afternoon, Rider celebrated three winners across the card at Tauranga with Savvysuper, Just Call Me Jonny and Vickezzlastcall, all horses that he bred and races under his Milan Park banner.
But, later that evening, the latter’s half-sister Aromatic died after complications having her first foal.
“We lost Aromatic last night, she foaled on Friday night with a dead foal and the foal put a foot through her bowel, so we lost the mare as well,” Rider said.
“It is very, very sad for us, but animals, like humans, we live and die. It’s just life.”
The daughter of Sacred Falls was purchased out of Milan Park’s draft at Karaka in 2019 by Te Akau Racing, and after victories in the Gr.2 Travis Stakes (1600m), Gr.3 Manawatu Breeders’ Stakes (2000m) and Gr.3 Counties Cup (2100m), Rider bought her back as a valuable broodmare prospect, as the best-performing foal out of his mare Vickezzchardonnay.
Rider hopes Vickezzlastcall can reach similar heights in the care of Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, and like Aromatic, has shown a preference for the middle-distance trips, comfortably taking out the Team Wealleans 2100.
“She just needs ground and Te Akau always thought she was a wet-tracker, but she may be following some of the Wrotes (sire) in liking the firmer ground, he said. “They seem to go pretty well in Hong Kong.
“Hopefully she can step up to be like her half-sister.”
Last season’s champion jockey Craig Grylls guided Vickezzlastcall to her second win in five starts, while he also steered both Savvysuper and Just Call Me Jonny in their respective victories.
Savvysuper, a well-bred son of Super Seth and Oaks placegetter Savvy Dreams, was first-up in his three-year-old campaign and took out a dramatic Ultimate Ford Maiden 1400, where two separate incidents caused horses to dislodged their riders.
“He was very good, Cody (Cole, trainer) rated him and Craig has ridden him a couple of times and thought a lot of him,” he said. “He has come up to expectations.”
The gelding was passed in when offered for sale as a yearling, and Rider said he is very much still on the market.
“We took him to the sales but he didn’t sell as a yearling, so the idea was to race him and sell him from there, which we intend to do now,” he said.
“His full-brother in Australia, Savour The Dream, has been unlucky in a number of group races, being drawn wide and things like that.
“Savvy Dreams has a yearling filly by Sword Of State going to the sales, and she is foaling late this year (served by Per Incanto).”
Eminent gelding Just Call Me Jonny completed the clean sweep, taking advantage of an inside run and kicking clear to take out the Bayleys Altogether Better 1400 for trainers Peter and Shaun McKay.
“Craig and Peter were very positive and he’s such an honest horse, he tries very hard and he’s been slow maturing,” Rider said.
“Hopefully we are looking for a reasonably good season out of him.”
Looking further into the spring, Rider is excited about the prospects of his star mare Provence, who impressed in her Open 950m heat at the Cambridge Synthetic trials on Tuesday.
“We can’t wait, Stephen Marsh (trainer) sent us a clip this morning saying how well she is and she’ll have one more trial, then she’ll be off to the races,” he said.
“She originally was set for a race in Australia so she came in nice and early, but she got a blood infection, so she came home and we gave her a break for roughly six weeks to let it come right.
“That has mucked up our original plan with her, but there is plenty of group races going forward and we’re all very excited.”
The six-year-old had a breakthrough season last term for Rider and her co-owners, syndicator Social Racing, winning the Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes (1600m) and Gr.1 Thorndon Mile (1600m). – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
