New recruit makes perfect start for Gordon

[Wandering Eyes]

Stable newcomer Paradis provided a pleasant surprise for Foxton trainer Suzy Gordon on Friday with a first-up victory in the Aquashield Roofing Maiden (1600m) at Otaki.

The daughter of Complacent had previously been in the Hastings stable of Fred Pratt and Caitlin Johnson, for whom she had recorded three placings from eight starts between November of 2023 and July of 2024.

Friday’s race at Otaki was the five-year-old’s first appearance in almost a year, first start for her new stable and first time racing over a distance shorter than 2100m. None of those factors stood in her way.

After settling well back in third-last among a strung-out field, Paradis was urged along by jockey Bruno Queiroz and began to steadily gain ground coming down the side of the track.

Queiroz spotted an opening along the inside at the home turn and cut back to the fence. Paradis kept up her long, sustained run, reeling in the tearaway leader Crafty Colin and racing past him in the last 50m to win by half a length. The first pair finished five and three-quarter lengths in front of the rest of the field.

“I don’t think she’s ever started over less than 2100m before,” said Gordon, who also now shares in the ownership of Paradis. “In her first start for me today, I thought we’d start her out at a mile and see how we go.

“She’d been working well. I thought she’d probably go a good race today, but I thought she might need to get up to 2000m.”

Paradis was the first leg of a Matariki double at Otaki for Queiroz, who later added the Listed John Turkington Forestry Castletown Stakes (1200m) with Platinum Diamond.

“Bruno gave the mare a beautiful ride today,” Gordon said. “He’s had three rides for me now for two wins and a second, so you can’t really do much better than that.”

Friday’s success was the ninth win of the season for Gordon, equalling her personal-best tally from the 2017-18 season.

Those nine wins have come from a total of only 87 starters, backed up another 11 second or third placings.

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