Sydenham satisfaction for Dictation

[Wandering Eyes]

Exciting jumper Dictation (NZ) (Tavistock) exacted a large measure of revenge for a costly last fence blunder twelve months ago when he dashed away with Saturday’s Avon City Ford Sydenham Hurdles (3100m) at Riccarton.

The Paul Nelson and Corrina McDougal-prepared eight-year-old had the 2024 version of the race in apparent safekeeping when he botched the last fence and dropped jockey Hamish McNeill.

With Matthew Gillies now his regular pilot, the 2025 version of the son of Tavistock has proved he is right up there with best in the hurdling game having taken out the Waikato Hurdle (3200m) back in June.

On that day Gillies adopted positive tactics by sitting handy to the pace throughout and repeated that on Saturday by taking Dictation to the front and running his rivals along.

It was obvious with 800m to run he was the horse to beat and despite topweight Berry The Cash (NZ) (Jakkalberry) trying valiantly to close in the run home under his 73kg impost, Dictation was going strongly as he handled the last obstacle with aplomb to dash away for a four-and-a-half-length victory.

Nelson had been a little concerned pre-race that his charge was a run short entering the contest but had little to be worried about as he looks towards next week’s Hospitality NZ Canterbury Grand National Hurdles (4200m).

“I definitely left it (the tactics) to Matt and I wondered what he was doing, but the horse was going pretty well and very kindly,” Nelson said.

“I was thinking he had gone a bit quickly but the horse did it so well.

“He will be better again next week as that will have taken some of the gloss off him.

“He has done well and is a bloody nice horse.”

The softly spoken Gillies noted he was keen to get near the front and decided to take up the pacemaking duties after seeing how well Dictation handled the early fences.

“Paul said to be forward and he jumped the first three fences so well he just put himself there,” he said.

“There was no point easing him down, so he had a breather down the back straight then kicked on again.

“I do think if something had come up alongside him there was another gear there.

“He jumped his fences well and ran away in the end. He doesn’t have to lead and I would expect next time they won’t let me get away with what we did today.”

Bred by the Dowager Duchess of Bedford and raced by the I See Red Syndicate, Dictation has won just shy of $173,000 with seven victories from just 34 starts.

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