Cambridge trainer Tracy Lomas took a chance when sending her mare Luckygirl to Stephen Ralph’s resident stallion Thunder Down Under a few years ago, and her gamble paid off at Pukekohe on Sunday.
Four-year-old mare Takeachance was the resulting progeny of that mating and she has shown plenty of ability so far in her career, placing on debut at Te Aroha last month before breaking through for her maiden triumph in the SkyCity Horizon 1200.
Lomas bred, trains and owns Takeachance, and she was rapt to get the win, her first in 11 years.
“I got her grandmother from John Gibson, who I used to ride track work for. The family has been with me for quite a while,” Lomas said.
“I was a bit worried about Pukekohe and how deep it was, we weren’t hoping for that much rain.
“The jockey (Jessica Allen) rode her really well because she was having a bit of trouble coming around the turn, and she kept her well balanced.”
Lomas was also pleased to record Thunder Down Under’s first win as a sire.
“I was very pleased for Stephen Ralph in getting the first winner for Thunder Down Under,” Lomas said. “He is a nice stallion.”
Ralph was just as animated about the result, with Thunder Down Under having previously sired three placegetters.
“A massive congratulations to Tracy Lomas, she believed in her broodmare and was determined to get a Thunder Down Under out of her,” Ralph said.
Bred by Fairway Thoroughbreds, Thunder Down Under was purchased by Ralph out of Curraghmore’s 2014 New Zealand Bloodstock Select Yearling Sale for $12,000.
He was the pick of the sale for Ralph and he was astonished he was able to secure him for such a price.
“He ended up being my number one pick out of the three books because of what he had in his pedigree,” he said. “The breeders of Winx bred this guy and at the time Winx was only starting her career, they obviously know how to breed a champion.
“I went up to the sales to have a look at this horse to see whether he matched his pedigree. No one bid on him and I thought this guy would be at least $120,000. They got down to $10,000, so I went to $12,000 and they dropped the hammer.”
Thunder Down Under went on to win four races, including the Listed 3YO Salver (2100m), and placed in the Gr.3 Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m).
Ralph said Thunder Down Under showed plenty of promise as a racehorse, but was hindered by feet issues, and he believes the best wasn’t seen from the son of Street Sense.
“He raced in the Derby and all the Guineas races, and I think he was too heavy for the hard tracks he was copping, and he had feet issues,” Ralph said.
“He ended up going to Chris Waller’s because we were looking for a better spring than what we normally have here and they had the worst spring in 75 years over there, and he came home with sore feet.
“If he didn’t have his front feet issues, we would have seen a lot more from him.”
While pleased to get the first win on the board for his stallion, Ralph said it has been a frustrating road to get to this point.
“Monique Tonnerre was placed twice as a two-year-old and Montana Bay was placed on three occasions as a two-year-old, so we were hoping a winner would have come sooner,” he said.
Ralph said Thunder Down Under’s best trait is his gentle demeanour, which he leaves in his progeny.
“He is such a gentleman, he is the easiest horse to work with, and his progeny are the same,” he said. “They are very intelligent and want to work with you.”
Ralph is hoping Thunder Down Under’s next winner isn’t too far away, with Ralph set to line-up debutant Thunder Storm either at Cambridge on Wednesday or Arawa Park on Thursday.
“He is an absolute gorgeous representative of his Dad,” Ralph said. “He has come up at the wrong time, but we just hope that his class will help carry him a long way.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
