Photo: Trish Dunell
By Paul Vettise, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
Tony Rider celebrated a classic dose of double delight in the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Trentham on Saturday.
In a near perfect result for the Milan Park principal, he had the honour of breeding the winner Pulchritudinous and also owns the dam of the runner-up Positivity.
Rider enjoys a close association with Pulchritudinous’ trainer and part-owner Chad Ormsby and purchased the mother of the second filly from her late co-breeder Sir Patrick Hogan.
“Chad and I have had horses together and done deals before and he bought the half-brother by Ocean Park (Cyber Patch) off me for $80,000,” he said.
“He ended up selling him to Hong Kong for $600,000 so that’s why he came back and bought this filly.”
Under his Riverrock Farm banner, Ormsby purchased Wrote’s daughter Pulchritudinous out of Milan Park’s draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale for $32,500 and she was subsequently passed in when reoffered at the Ready to Run Sale.
Rider has since sold Pulchritudinous’ dam Showus, who is by Pentire from the family of the Gr.1 Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) winner and champion sire Marscay and another Oaks winner in Alacrity.
However, he remains involved with the family with a half-sister to Pulchritudinous by Ardrossan named Fillygizalook. She was a two-year-old trial winner from Stephen Marsh’s stable at Tauranga last month.
“They are chalk and cheese and she’ll be more of a sprinter to middle distance maximum,whereas Pulchritudinous could even get over 3200m,” Rider said.
“I could have sold a very good broodmare, but that’s the name of the game. You can’t keep them all.
“I bought Showus as a yearling from Chequers Stud (for $25,000) and raced her with Guy Lowry and then leased her out for two years to Trish Dunell and brought her back and started breeding from her myself.”
Rider also gained a good deal of satisfaction from the Andrew Forsman-trained Positivity’s effort for second in the Oaks.
“I didn’t breed her but own her mother (Pussy O’Reilly). I bought her off Sir Patrick Hogan and it’s a fantastic New Zealand family,” Rider said.
“She’s got a Shocking colt at foot and is in foal to Sword Of State. I’m not too sure where she’ll go this year.”
Rider has also recently welcomed home multiple Group winner Aromatic after buying her back via the Gavelhouse platform for $257,500.
Milan Park sold the daughter of Sacred Falls and one of the farm’s foundation mares Vickeezzchardonnay to Te Akau’s David Ellis for $160,000 at Karaka.
“She is very special to me, the whole family has been special and that’s where I started from and we’ll more than likely send her over to Yulong’s Alabama Express,” he said.
“She is very similar to her mother and was an out and out stayer. Mark Walker said to me that she had been amazing to have in the stable and was just so honest.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
