LOVE TAP Knocks Out Peers in Powerful Display

“He’s Back!” were the statements of excitement issued by commentators who had just witnessed a demolition job by the gorgeous grey LOVE TAP.


LOVE TAP winning Race 10 at the ROSEHILL at Kembla meeting on 11-9-21

Well, that’s not really the situation, because LOVE TAP never went anywhere.

The brilliant Dynamic Syndications galloper LOVE TAP a 4yo gelding by TAPIT x SMOKEY’S LOVE trained by Richard Freedman at Rosehill was back in the Winner’s Circle at Saturday’s Rosehill Meeting at Kembla Grange when he teamed up with his trusted jet-pilot Nash Rawiller to claim Race 10 on the programme, the Cleanaway Handicap, a 1500m Benchmark 78 event which he ran in 1:29.81 coming home in 35.45.


LOVE TAP fly's past the post as an easy winner

The win took his career record to 8 Starts: 5 Wins, 1 Fourth and $253,625.



LOVE TAP is certainly an excitement machine that possesses a knockout punch capable of flooring his opponents, and this awesome power was on display against a quality field on Saturday, where his peers had no answer to his brute force.


LOVE TAP as a yearling the day we purchased him

The $110,000 Magic Millions yearling from the Coolmore Stud draft, has given his owners a lot of joy already with a Gr3 Win, a track record and a fourth in a Group 1.

LOVE TAP created headlines in his first preparation, when Team Dynamic set an ambitious plan to aim at the Gr3 Gloaming Stakes 1800m and the Gr1 Spring Champion Stakes 2000m.


LOVE TAP winning his Maiden on debut

Flying under the radar to force our way into those races, we tipped-toed our way around the press, starting off in a Maiden event at Nowra as a late 2yo taking on older horses which he won with ease over 1200m.

Then we allowed him 2 weeks off in the paddock to be on the right timing, and we raced him second up 7 weeks after his first start also over 1200m up into a Bm 58 on a Heavy 9 track at Goulburn, which he cantered to victory by 4.28 lengths.


LOVE TAP wins his second race

For his third race start, we went back to Goulburn to run in a 1500m Class 2 on a Good 4 surface.


LOVE TAP and NASH RAWILLER break the 1500m Course Record at Goulburn

That race, Nash Rawillier had to set his compass to find his way to Goulburn for the first time in his career. The Dynamic Duo smashed the track record running 1:28.13 coming home in a sizzling 33.73 and hardly raised a sweat in the process starting as a $1.07 favourite. This was when his form was franked that he was a serious galloper in the making and Nash declared we would win the Gloaming on that effort.


LOVE TAP winning the Gr3 Gloaming Stakes

Fourth-up for the preparation and his race career, LOVE TAP lined up in the Gr3 1800m of the Gloaming Stakes at Rosehill, where the Dynamic Duo lived up to expectation with a dominant 1.8 length win. Nash that day reported that the horse would benefit from blinkers to concentrate, as he was doing things wrong in his racecraft, but we were concerned putting blinkers on in a 2000m event he may over-race at 2000m trip and use too much gas.

He had done a great job and was unbeaten after 4 runs and the 2000m Gr1 Spring Champion looked a genuine winning hope.

Nash rode him again, however LOVE TAP went well but raced below expectations, but still ran a credible 4th to Montefilia and Lion’s Roar. Nash reported the horse was flat and raced like a tired horse. His deeds had been sensational for a young horse having his first preparation, from winning a Maiden over 1200m in the country on debut, to winning a Gr3 and running 4th in a Gr1.

LOVE TAP was immediately spelled with the Sydney Autumn carnival in mind and a crack at the AJC Derby.

On the last day of his spell before returning to training, he was found in the paddock to have an injury to his near side hock, which had blown up like a football. Vets believe he had kicked out and hit a fence or something similar and the injury resulted in an infection in the joint.

It was considered a 50/50 situation if he would even make it back to the races again.

Quality horse husbandry and care and a long slow build-up, the horse responded gradually and came back into work, and our attention was turned to the Brisbane winter carnival with a possible Queensland Derby target, but realistically, we were just delighted to have him back at the races.

He resumed over 1350m, he was trapped wide throughout, and did his best work late, to finish 7th of 13 beaten just 1.7 lengths. It was a pass mark but was below our expectations.

Nash Rawiller said it was ok, but it wasn’t the horse that he was that won the Gloaming, he thought something was worrying him and he didn’t let down as he had expected.

We immediately aborted the Queensland campaign, and gave LOVE TAP a few weeks off in Queensland in the better weather, to get over the trip and any niggles he may have been carrying.

He returned a bigger, stronger, more mature individual and the trip away also brought him on mentally.

His trackwork was pleasing his trainer Richard Freedman and his team again and LOVE TAP had a different demeanour. However, this time in, he was showing a tendency that he wanted 1600m plus, and the short courses wouldn’t suit.

Finding the right race to resume in was difficult, as there wasn’t a suitable option in the racing calendar.

With Nash Rawiller being on holidays for a few weeks, we settled on a 1400m Benchmark 88 at Randwick where he was allotted 54.0kgs. Drawing barrier 11 in a field of 13 first-up, he was well beaten by the biggest margin of his career finishing 10th of 13, 5.9 lengths away. We knew the run was torrid and on the surface, it looked disappointing for how well the horse had been working, but rider Glen Boss said the effort pleased him, and when trapped wide and deep, he believed in the run he couldn’t win the race so did the right thing by the horse, and gave him a soft time and didn’t ask him for a gut-buster first run back and allowed him to roll to the line. Glen advised he was already looking for 2000m and would win something serious this preparation out at a mile and further.

Second-up here at the Rosehill meeting at Kembla Grange on Saturday, out to 1500m and with his mate Nash Rawiller back on board, now was the right time to introduce blinkers in a race. His trackwork in blinkers had been sensational, and we always believed this gear change would give him confidence.

The horse paraded like a catwalk glamour. His light grey coat was gleaming, and he was significantly tighter in condition than he was for his first-up assignment.


LOVE TAP in the Pre-Race Parade

Nash Rawiller had asked Sky Commentator Greg Radley for a cheerio call for a friend of his pre-race having a birthday and before Greg had the chance to do it, Nash told him not to bother as the way LOVE TAP was parading, he would do it himself in the winner’s post-race interview.

Greg Radley reported this on TV pre-race, believing this to be a misguided hope with LOVE TAP sitting on the fourth line of betting at $11, with two short-priced runners Brookspire at $2.80 and Kingsheir at $3.50 dominating the betting, with Loveplanet at $6.00, but NASH was right and true to his word, Nash gave his cheerio call to Patricia Wood who was celebrating her 80th Birthday when he returned to scale.

Heading into this event, our concern was that he may over-race in blinkers the first time, also he may be a touch underdone for the 1500m second-up, with us having bigger black-type plans for him deeper in the preparation.

As the gates crashed back, he was a fraction slow to leave the machines but after 150m LOVE TAP had forged to the lead before suicidal tactics were employed by Academy, the Mark Newnham runner took off as if it was running in an Oakleigh Plate, setting up a 3-length lead and spreading the field.

This was just perfect for LOVE TAP because he was able to settle into a rhythm in second spot, following the leader. By the time the field had passed the 1200m mark, it was spread over 8-9 lengths with LOVE TAP 2-lengths ahead of the third placed runner and the balance of the 11 runners settling into their positions.

There were no changes in positions for the next 600m as jockeys waited until the point of the turn into the straight to commence their challenges.

Academy turned into the straight 2-lengths ahead of LOVE TAP, with the favourite Brookspire sitting a length off us in third spot.

As the field passed the 350m, Nash hadn’t asked LOVE TAP for an effort, yet he had cruised up to be eyeballing the leader.



This caused Nash an issue as he had got to the front too early and was worried that something might swoop late which LOVE TAP wouldn’t see coming because of the blinkers.

Academy gave up immediately, and at the 200m Nash pushed the go-button and LOVE TAP bounded 2-lengths clear over Brookspire with some back markers coming home down the outside off the fast early pace.




LOVE TAP - IN FULL FLIGHT 


It was great to see Nash Rawiller and LOVE TAP in full flight over the final 200m, with Nash keeping him going to win by 1.3 lengths from a fast-finishing Al Mah Ha Ha with Night of Power a head back in third a neck in front of 4th placed Wairere Falls and Brookspire faded to be fifth whilst second favourite Kingsheir finished 7th some 6 lengths away.



Greg Radley said after the race “Well the big grey by American super sire TAPIT has got the money. He’s all legs this bloke, and he runs, he runs. Nash tried to give me the tip, he’s got a cheerio, to send out but he said I might win this race and I’ll do it myself. Nash Rawiller too good on the big grey LOVE TAP.”


LOVE TAP - Returns to the Winner's Stall

LOVE TAP gets a well deserved pat from his mate NASH RAWILLER

Ron Dufficy said “The blinkers were the thing here, he came out like a rocket, he over-raced, he looked like the old LOVE TAP who won his first 4 starts, and was proved at Stakes Level last prep, so hopefully the Freedman’s have got him back on track. They went out really hard there, the favourites were all disappointing. He did a really good job there the winner, being a survivor of that on speed battle.”

Greg Radley interviewed Trainer Richard Freedman and started by saying “it was lovely to see this beautiful grey horse win Richard, and those blinkers certainly switched him into the mode today”


LOVE TAP's Trainer - RICHARD FREEDMAN

Richard replied “Yeah we tried them on him in work and they made a big difference in his work. He can coast this horse, he gets to a speed, and he coasts and when he got the blinkers on, he got really sharp, so we knew if he was up on the pace, he’s got that huge, long stride, he’s just all legs, he’s a beautiful moving horse, and we’re just pleased to see him in form again. He’s got patient owners, and he had that injury on his hock and that’s now resolved and he’s back.

“He might be another preparation away as he is mentally still a foal, he’s terribly immature mentally, but he has got ability and he can run, I reckon he’ll run a good 2000m and he’ll run them like that, I think he’s a nice horse in the making.”

Greg said: “There aren’t too many horses by TAPIT in Australia are there?”

Richard replied: “No and I think he’s the only one that goes any good anyway.”


LOVE TAP - POST RACE


Corey Brown interviewed Nash and said: “You had a great run in transit, the horse travelled really, really sweetly, blinkers on, you looked the winner a long way out.”


A Happy NASH RAWILLER

Nash Rawiller said: “He felt the winner a long way-out Corey. He’s a horse we’ve seen a lot of and had a big opinion of for a long time. He’s had a few injuries. Full credit to Richard, he’s worked his way through them without hurting the horse, he went to Queensland had one run, came home, just kept him ticking over without hurting him and he was a confident horse today and raced well.”



Congratulations to our terrific Team of Loyal Dynamic Syndications Owners of LOVETAP: Dynamic Syndications Racing, Mr D M Badger, Ms J E Mors, Mrs T E Parish, Mr A M Parish, Mr S L Goodger, Mrs V D Dowling, Ms P Speight, Mr J Yianni, Mr N B Patterson, Ms A Rohde, Mrs C G Bodey, Ms D G Hall, Mr S A Hardiman, Mrs K Corby, Mr A N Luckman, Miss A J Hayes, Mr G J Breen, Mrs K Tew, Dynamic no. 94


ADAM WATT giving LOVE TAP a cuddle

LOVE TAP produced our 734th Race Win and our 8th Win of the new racing season.

Love Tap 11.9.21 from Dynamic Syndications on Vimeo.

Onwards and Upwards.