First impressions count for Ormsby

[Wandering Eyes]

Chad Ormsby was immediately taken when he first viewed Cyber Patch (NZ) and quickly made up his mind to purchase the good-looking son of Ocean Park.

The Matamata horseman duly secured the Milan Park homebred for A$80,000 when he was offered by Bhima Thoroughbreds at the 2021 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale at the Riverside Stables complex.

“He was outstanding, you wouldn’t find a better type,” Ormsby said.

“I saw him at the on-farm parade in Cambridge before he went to Sydney and I knew from then that I was going to buy him.”

Ormsby subsequently prepared Cyber Patch to win and place at the trials as a two-year-old before he was sold to Hong Kong where he failed to show his true talent.

He returned to New Zealand and at Ellerslie on Saturday broke through for his maiden success over 1600m following runner-up finishes in his first two appearances from Catherine Cameron’s Cambridge stable.

“It was good to see him hit his straps and since he’s been back from Hong Kong he’s been good,” Ormsby said.

Cyber Patch’s impressive frontrunning victory continued Ormsby’s run of success with the family, with his half-sister Pulchritudinous (NZ) (Wrote) winning the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) following success in the Gr.2 Lowland Stakes (2000m) before her sale to Australia earlier this year.

“Off the back of knowing the ability he had, we went and bought her as well the following year,” he said.

Meanwhile, under his Riverrock Farm banner Ormsby will offer a dozen youngsters at the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale in November and singled out juveniles by Star Turn (Lot 49) and Churchill (Lot 288) as leading lights.

“Star Turn is a sire that is absolutely on fire and the Churchill is another stand-out in the draft,” he said.

“We’ve reduced the numbers to keep the quality up and anybody will be happy to take any of them home.”

The son of Star Turn is out of Lots Of Dosh (NZ) (Ocean Park), a three-quarter sister to the Gr.2 Wellington Guineas (1500m) winner Sacred Park (NZ) (Thorn Park) while the Churchill colt is from the family of Group One winners Delago Deluxe (Encosta De Lago), Duporth (Red Ransom) and Excites (Danewin).

Ormsby also has his Gr.3 Concorde Handicap (1200m) winner Master Fay (Deep Field) ready to bounce back given the right conditions following his unplaced run on a heavy Te Rapa track in the Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m).

“He’ll run either on Friday at Te Rapa or Saturday at Hastings depending which track will be best for him, he needs the best possible ground,” he said.

View the full article