The feel-good story of the Dynamic Racing Season took place for our team in the final race on the programme at Nowra on Sunday.
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UK Import SIDEREAL (GB) (by GALILEO (IRE) from STARLIT SANDS (GB)) broke through for his first Australian victory when showing enormous courage to claim Race 7, the CARPET COURT Class 1 & Maiden Plate 1600m.
SIDEREAL (GB) trained by RICHARD & WILLIAM FREEDMAN at Rosehill was given the perfect ride by jet pilot Blake Spriggs.
SIDEREAL (59.0kgs) ($3.60 fav) defeated DIAMOND DRUMMER (59.0kgs) ($4.40) by 0.1 length with 3.3 lengths back to MARVELOUS (59.0kgs) ($4.60) in third place. On a Good 3 Surface 1:37.99 last 600m 34.70.
SIDEREAL was having his ninth race start in Australia in what has proven a bittersweet racing career here.
SIDEREAL is a horse we have always had a lot of time for, but things kept going pear-shaped for the horse, including a courageous fight back from a near career ending injury to defy the odds and make it back to the racetrack after 16 months (68 weeks) away from the sport.
This was his fifth run back after the enforced lay-off, yet while it has taken a few runs for the foundation fitness to return, his courage under fire has never been in doubt.
In his first preparation in Australia, SIDEREAL was placed 3rd at Newcastle over 1400m, then 5th at Wyong at a mile before being turned out for a short let-up to help with his acclimatisation.
He resumed with a 4th over 1300m at Newcastle then a 3rd at Warwick Farm over 1600m before heartbreak occurred for his ownership team, when a tendon injury threatened his racing career.
We had the choice of immediate retirement or rehabilitation and hope. The owners chose the later and a long process began of healing and recuperation, followed by long slow exercise which saw SIDEREAL gain the foundation fitness needed to commence race training again.
The prognosis for a successful return was guarded, however day-by-day, gallop-by-gallop, SIDEREAL kept improving.
He was given a soft trial in early April to blow out the cobwebs whilst not putting him under pressure, with the view to see how the injury site coped.
Pulling up well, albeit still very fat inside, SIDEREAL was backed up a fortnight later at Rosehill where he won his trial over 1030m and thrilled our team. He pulled up blowing heavily and was still well short of needed fitness, however SIDEREAL showed us he wanted to be there.
Then two weeks later we gave him a third trial, this time at Hawkesbury. to ensure he was as fit as we could make him when he returned to racing. He won that trial again, and our hopes were high he was on target for a successful return.
He was sent to the races first up for this preparation at Kembla in late May stepping out over 1400m, but performed below expectation, when 6th of 7 runners and we rode the express elevator from penthouse to outhouse. However, the first up 1400m trip lumping 61.0kgs after 68 weeks away from the races as a 6yo gelding, we identified he just didn’t have the necessary foundation.
Next run was over 1500m at Hawkesbury, which was a much better effort, lumping 60.0kgs he was 4th of 13 just 1.4 lengths away.
We then sent him back to Kembla third-up 1500m expecting a good showing, but he let the team down with a poor 8th of 10 effort. This mixing of form had us perplexed, as his work had been strong. We had the feedback from the jockey that the track was very firm and SIDEREAL wouldn’t stretch out, most likely the horse was protecting himself.
We then went to Gosford over a mile and a far better effort was put in by SIDEREAL with a 1.4 length 3rd placing.
Believing he is of midweek / provincial class, he still had not put a photo on the wall in Australia. Searching for race options, we found the Nowra race where under the set weights conditions, he was very well placed in the event. We thought he could win on paper, and the race will give him much needed confidence. However, we did believe the eventual runner-up would be extremely difficult to defeat. It was now time to see. It was time to determine if all our hard work to rehabilitate and bring the horse back to the sport was worth the effort. We all now know it was.
In what appeared on paper a very even race with 5 of the 10 runners in single figures in the market, off our formline assessment we believed it was a match-race between SIDEREAL and the impeccably bred DIAMOND DRUMMER (I Am Invincible / Diamond Drille), and as the camera flashed passing the winning post, the margin was 0.1 length in SIDEREAL’s favour.
Leaving the saddling enclosure as a $4.40 second favourite, but by the time the field had loaded into the barriers SIDEREAL met heavy support and firmed into $3.60 favourite.
As the gates crashed back, SIDEREAL speared to the front before the Bott / Waterhouse runner Obsession took off to cross us and land 2 lengths in front. A confident, thinking ride by Blake Spriggs was on display, as Blake allowed the leader to go and then just worked forward to sit a length off it, one off the fence. Whilst this was happening, Diamond Drummer settled on our back in fourth spot tracking our moves.
Blake Spriggs allowed the leader to get away with a couple of soft sectionals from the 1000m to the 600m before moving up to eyeball the leader as the field swung into the straight with Diamond Drummer peeling off our back to give chase.
SIDEREAL quickly dropped the leader but Diamond Drummer had swept up on our outside and was eyeballing SIDEREAL at the 300m.
Diamond Drummer had appeared to have had the softer run with cover throughout and had moved up so strongly. It looked as if it would roll past and claim the win.
However SIDEREAL had other plans. He fought like a tiger and countered the challenge at the 200m sticking his head back in front.
For the final furlong it was a battle of wills and attrition. The fitness levels built into SIDEREAL over the recovery and this preparation were there for SIDEREAL to draw upon, and he refused to yield breaking the heart of the runner-up who could not lift again.
It was a wonderful victory for belief and perseverance.
Yes we acknowledge it was a Class 1 / Maiden Plate at Nowra on a Sunday, but sometimes, when you know the stories of adversity, the win was as emotionally satisfying as winning a feature race in town. Courage, class, perseverance were all on show.
Outstanding horsemanship by his trainers Richard and Will Freedman to never give up, never give in, and a pure gem of a ride by our “go-to” jet pilot Blake Spriggs who drove to Nowra on Sunday for just the one ride.
It’s a team effort for this success. Its owners who believed in and supported their horse through thick and thin to make it back to the track. To the vets and pre-trainers who gave such wonderful direction and foundation, to the excellent long approach given to supply the foundation fitness giving SIDEREAL the courage and faith to overcome his injury. To the identifying of the race and dropping him in class to give SIDEREAL the confidence to achieve the win, and then the pearl of a ride by Blake Spriggs to count his sectional splits, stalk the leader and then the balance in the saddle to keep SIDEREAL racing true throughout the tussle.
CONGRATULATIONS to our DYNAMIC TEAM of OWNERS that race SIDEREAL (GB): Dynamic Syndications Racing, Mr S B Troughton, Mr A Cranes, Mr C L Przibella, Mr G Tew, Mr S D Fitzpatrick, Southern Land Properties, Mr A Mitchell, Mr J R Carter, Mr D I Hollyman, Mr D P Lacey, Mrs A T Woollett, Mr M A Wolens, Mr S R Freeman, Mrs M Joyce, Mr M G Joyce
It was a dream result for SIDEREAL (GB) and for his Dynamic Owners.
Sidereal - Winner 23.7.23 from Dynamic Syndications on Vimeo.
Yes, of course there are bigger, more prestigious races to win, but this was one of the most satisfying this racing season amongst many highlights we have achieved over the past 12 months.
SIDEREAL recorded Dynamic Syndications 58th Race Win for the 2022-23 Racing Season and it was our 828th Race Win overall.
SIDEREAL was also our 290th Individual Winner from 329 Individual Runners (88.1%).
Forever Forward !