Van Lierdes enjoy ideal cross-code weekend

[Wandering Eyes]

Cambridge couple Maxim and Samantha van Lierde celebrated a successful cross-code weekend, with victories in both the show jumping arena and the racetrack.

Maxim, who currently trains a 10-strong team of gallopers, enjoyed an early double at New Plymouth last Friday, with Annetarz and Gentian Blue breaking maiden status with comfortable victories over 2000m and 1400m respectively under Tegan Newman.

“It was a massive thrill for the whole team, we’ve had these horses for a number of years now so for them to finally be mature enough to put it all together was pretty rewarding,” he said.

“We’ve got a really nice mix of supportive owners, while we own a few of them ourselves as well.”

Maxim’s work as a farrier, alongside breaking and pre-training, is done alongside wife Sam, who is a well-established horsewoman in her own right, having claimed several top showjumping titles, most recently aboard her stable star Cadillac NZPH.

Just minutes following Annetarz’s success last Friday, Sam scooped a major win of her own at the Takapoto Estate Show Jumping Classic, guiding the 12-year-old to victory in the Gold Tour Second Qualifier (1.45m), five years after winning the Seven-Year-Old Final at the glamorous Waikato event.

Formerly based in Whangarei, Sam also won the Seven-Year-Old Horse of the Year event aboard Cadillac in 2019, and will prepare for the show’s centrepiece showjumping class in the Olympic Cup next month, with jumps ranging up to 1.6m.

“He’s a superstar and so is she, and the two of them together are a very special combination,” Maxim said.

“The showjumping fits into our lives really well and is something Sam is very passionate about, she’s got big goals. She’ll be riding Cadillac in the Olympic Cup at Horse of the Year, so it’s very much onwards and upwards for them.”

Maxim credits Sam’s equestrian background in the presentation of their racehorses, while also being a great assist to the education of their youngstock.

“We always try to turn our horses out the best we can, and Sam has a real knack for that,” he said.

“The education of our horses with flat riding and jumping seems to transfer over really well with the racehorses as well.

“We have a great balance, the training is becoming a lot more prominent now as we’re hoping for the racing business to go in that direction, but we’re still doing a bit of breaking in as well.”

Van Lierde is hopeful their good fortune can continue at Pukekohe on Wednesday, with two likely starters in Dealer’s Choice and Bamboozle.

A three-year-old daughter of Ace High, Dealer’s Choice will contest the Entain – NZB Insurance Pearl Series Race (1400m), after finishing a creditable fourth and fifth in her first two raceday starts.

“She’s a really talented filly, up in trip she was probably a run short last start, and we should see plenty of improvement from her this time out,” he said.

Vinnie Colgan will guide Dealer’s Choice, while also taking the reins aboard Tavistock four-year-old Bamboozle in the Barfoot & Thompson 1600.

“He dropped back to a mile after disappointing over ground, he was probably just a bit too weak for that. He should be very competitive after what he learned last start having Matt Cameron on,” van Lierde said.

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