Southland trainer Robert Dennis will this weekend host a celebration to mark the happy ending of a turbulent journey to reunite his Ukrainian stablehand Alex with his wife Olena.
Alex, who asked that their surname was not published to protect their family back in Ukraine, arrived in New Zealand in 2019 to begin working for Dennis, but when immigration officials refused to grant Olena entry to the country, a heart-wrenching quest to reunite the couple was set in motion.
Alex and Olena battled red-tape that kept the couple apart for 2-1/2 years and led to a remarkable 17,000km trip to New Zealand through war zones, aided in no small part by a groundswell of support from Dennis' owners.
"It's a relief more than anything and I know that's the way Alex felt too," Dennis said of the saga.
"Even though we knew she was coming, it didn't feel real until she arrived after everything he'd gone through and all the hurdles along the way.
"It has been a real hassle and we've run into a lot of roadblocks in getting Olena here but there has been a happy ending now she's arrived and Alex and her can start their new lives over here together. Obviously they have family in Ukraine which they are worried about.
"It's a great story with plenty of emotion attached to it. Alex is a really likeable guy and he's had an impact on a lot of people. It's just me and him at the stable. He's the track rider, stablehand, a bit of everything. My owners love him and he's fantastic with the horses."
Three years ago Dennis responded to an ad Alex had placed on the New Zealand Trainers' Association website looking for employment, the trainer was impressed by a resume that included five years working for Shadwell Stud in England and soon afterwards offered him a job.
"The plan was that Alex's wife would follow shortly after," Dennis said.
"She applied for her partnership visa and it was granted but unfortunately five days after the first lockdown, which meant that when the borders opened after the first lockdown they were only letting people in on partnership visas if they were approved prior to the first lockdown.
"So she missed out by five days and there was no budging from Immigration New Zealand."
Assisting from Southland was lawyer Anna Goble, a shareholder in the Dennis-trained The Gift and whose husband Albie has shares in three horses in the stable.
Through Goble's work, Olena was eventually granted a critical purpose extension added on to her visa to allow her entry.
"It was a massive stress for Alex and we wanted nothing more than to help him and to get Olena over here," Dennis said.
But then the issue was how she would get out of Ukraine, currently under invasion from Russian military forces.
"There were risks involved but she ended up getting a taxi to the nearest city, about 100km away, then got on a Russian bus to Moscow and as soon as she provided a negative Covid test, she got her ticket to New Zealand and she arrived here last week."
Alex told the Southland Times: “I am happy she’s here, eventually. That was the safest way for her to escape, through Russia.”
He added that Olena's journey had taken her past burnt out tanks and destroyed homes, all the while hearing bombing in the distance.
Dennis said his owners had been generous in their support and the Southland Racing Club had gifted the couple a weekend getaway at Millbrook Resort.
"When The Gift won at Gore on the 11th of March, her owners gave their winning stake to Alex and Olena to pay for flights and to cover costs for their immigration application," he said.
Dennis will host a function for Alex and Olena at Ascot Park on Sunday, where the stable will also be represented by Heidi Hi in the Northern Sports Bar & TAB Handicap (2200m).
Heidi Hi was a winner at the track and distance three starts back and has twice finished second since.
"The key to her is getting out of the barriers with them. She was a bit tardy last time," Dennis said.
"She had to work overtime in the running and only got run down late so it was a pretty effort after such a hard run.
"If she can get herself in a better position and do a little bit less through the race, she should be hard to beat. If she can run up to expectations, we'll have a crack at the Riverton Cup."
Dennis confirmed he was winding down his training operation with only two runners staying in his care after May when his wife Aleisha is due to give birth to the couple's first child.
"I'm phasing out of training. I've only got five or six in work and I'm taking a job with the Southland Chamber of Commerce in Invercargill. I've already started part-time," Dennis said.
He also reported that The Gift, a winner of seven races for the stable, including her last two and the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1400m) at Wingatui last year, had transferred to Sydney trainer Chris Waller, though would remain in the same ownership. - NZ Racing Desk
