No Need to Have a LONG MEMORY to Remember this Dynamic Mare

23 Nov 23

Sometimes in this racing caper, Maiden Victories can be as emotionally satisfying if not more so, as winning big races at carnival time.

Each horse is an individual, and each ownership team is unique and special in their own ways.

Not everything is “beer and skittles” in a sport that judge’s success by the flash of a camera on top of a peg, and how many dollars get banked into an account.

Often, satisfaction can come from more humble arenas. At Dynamic Syndications we have achieved wonderful success stories over many years. Each is special in its own way.

On Thursday at Hawkesbury, Dynamic Syndications achieved yet another special moment when we won an 1100m Maiden Handicap with a 4yo mare named LONG MEMORY.

Whilst satisfying in its own right, this win recorded our 52nd Victory for the 2023 Calendar Year, our 26th Race Win for the Current 2023-24 Racing Season, also it recorded our 298th Individual Winner (from 336 Individual Runners = 88.7%) and our 854th Race Win = Overall.

However, there is much more to the story behind the success than this photo for the wall.

LONG MEMORY - 4yo Brown Mare (LONHRO x REMIND ME (GB)) trained by Richard and William Freedman at Rosehill, and ridden here by Tyler Schiller, was asked to carry 58.0kgs and won with authority first-up from a spell the XXXX GOLD 4YO & UP MAIDEN HANDICAP at Hawkesbury.

She recorded on a Good 4 surface a Time: 1:03.97 with a Last 600m: 34.39.

LONG MEMORY (58.0kgs) ($2.90 Fav) won by 0.64 length over Mr Showman (55.0kgs) ($5.0) with 0.18 length to Different Road in third spot.

This win took her to a Career Summary: 2-1:0:0 and Prizemoney: $21,550

Having had one race start in her career way back on 17 September 2022 for an inglorious 7 of 12 in a Fillies and Mares Maiden at Newcastle, for her loyal ownership team it would be 56 weeks (and significant dollars) they would need to wait before they saw her back at the sport.

It was not the plan to have this time off, but it was forced upon the Ownership Team after their mare nearly died and had to undergo several surgeries and long recuperation just to live, let alone grace the racetrack again.

Had lesser loyalty been shown, the mare may have ended up in Heaven, or retired had the ownership team been impatient, the mare would most certainly not have made it back to the track.

LONG MEMORY had displayed early in training she had plenty of talent but was very lightly mouthed. In other words, she resented the slightest pull on the reins by the riders. Unable to identify a source, she was sent for a spell after her first run, and that’s when things went pear-shaped.

After a few weeks, an infection was identified in the teeth region. After veterinary inspections and scans it was found the mare had a deep seeded infection underneath her teeth where the roots attach to the jawbone. This was a disaster, as no matter what antibiotics were used, and after several surgeries, we could not break the infection cycle. She would improve and have a relapse several times. Finally, we got on top of it through sheer persistence.

Then it was a long, slow, and attentive pre-training stint by Shane Rose and his team, to build a foundation of fitness after such a long time off, before heading into Rosehill for Richard and Will Freedman to continue laying the base foundation with long, slow training, to ensure we could have the mare as fit as possible for her resumption.

We then elected to give the mare three (3) trials to continue building upon this foundation fitness and give confidence to LONG MEMORY.

Whilst this is good horse husbandry and management, everyone still needs to be on the same page. Such was the case with this loyal ownership team, and they have been rewarded with this success.

From "deaths door to the winners circle" it has been a huge team effort.

Plus, the way our mare is so stoutly bred, there is no way she should be winning at 1100m, she should need 1600m to 2000m just to warm-up.

Originally purchased to be a potential Oaks contender, LONG MEMORY boasts one of the best middle distance female families in the Northern Hemisphere Stud Book.

Sent to the barriers as a clear favourite, things were a touch awkward as soon as the gates crashed back. Inexplicably, a fraction before the button was pushed, she threw her head down to the ground and stood flat footed coming out clearly behind the field.

Originally hoping to settle among the leaders, we found ourselves well back, six lengths from the speed. This is where its such an advantage to use the best riders available. Tyler didn’t panic but simply allowed our mare to balance and creep up and tack onto the back of the leaders, as the field thundered towards the home turn.

Then as they began the swing, Tyler angled out 5-wide as they began to straighten into the run, however Tyler had a wall of horses across the track in front of him.

Angling widest into the straight, Tyler waited until the field passed the 200m before he asked our mare to extend and she moved up stylishly. Then at the 150m, Tyler got busy and LONG MEMORY lengthened nicely and took the lead.

Over the final 100m LONG MEMORY was allowed the luxury to go to the post under her own steam with the race safely in her control.

It was a big effort for so long off the scene, to win first-up for Richard and Will Freedman, aided by a good ride by Tyler Schiller and one thing for sure is she will strip fitter from the run and be improved as the distance increases.

Tyler was interviewed by Richard Callendar for Sky Racing who started the interview by saying: “Long Memory a big effort after a long time off the scene, never easy to get them fit away from the racecourse, but Long Memory sat off the speed, got to the middle and really hit the line powerfully to run on off the back of Mr Showman. This first 100m they all wanted to be there.”

Tyler responded: “Yeah, there was plenty of speed which probably suited her, she's a bit of a fierce filly, and I have trialled her a couple of times, and she’s been a little bit hard to handle. I think the 1100m was a good placement today by Richard and Will, and she was good late, she got a nice cart into the race, and didn’t have to get exposed early and showed a nice turn of foot. I followed the right horse, and she did the rest.”

Co-Owners Margaret & Garry Kirkman were there to see LONG MEMORY win

CONGRATULATIONS and THANKS to a TOP TEAM of Loyal Dynamic Syndications Owners that thoroughly deserved this wonderful reward and the way the mare won, there is many more to come: Dynamic Syndications Racing, Mr G Harvey, Mr J M Nassim, VFH, Mr L D Thomas, Mr L Agrawal, Mr W J Noonan, Mr D P Lacey, Ms S R Smith, Mr M C Finch, BNP Racing, Mr G R Kirkman, Mrs M M Kirkman, Ms S T Hancock, Mr A Mitchell, Mr G J Cooper