Tobias heads Dravitzki double at New Plymouth

[Wandering Eyes]

Stratford trainer Tony Dravitzki broke new ground in his career with back-to-back victories at New Plymouth on Saturday.

Dravitzki, who has held a trainer’s licence since the 2009-10 season and has only four horses in work, went into Saturday’s meeting with a total of 22 wins to his name from 352 runners. He wasted little time in increasing that number to 24.

Last-start Hawera maiden winner Im Bartholomew (NZ) (Complacent) provided the first leg of the double in the $40,000 Taranaki Pine Dash (990m). Just over 35 minutes later, the stable’s headline horse Tobias took his career earnings past $200,000 with an all-the-way win in the $50,000 Kiwi Butcher (2000m).

“This is very special,” Dravitzki said. “It doesn’t happen to trainers like me, so we’ll take it, that’s for sure.”

Saturday’s victory broke a year-long win drought for Tobias (NZ) (Complacent), whose last success was in the Interprovincial (1600m) at New Plymouth in August of last year.

But the eight-year-old son of Complacent had produced a string of solid performances through the winter, most recently a fourth in his Interprovincial title defence, and Dravitzki decided to step him up to 2000m on Saturday. It could not have gone any better.

Apprentice jockey Elle Sole allowed Tobias to stride forward and take up the lead coming down the straight with a lap to go. He controlled the race from that point on and kicked away as he rounded the home turn.

Rosetown Princess (NZ) (Redwood) and Swingit Our Way (NZ) (Zed) chased bravely through the last 200m, but no one was handling the gruelling Heavy10 ground better than Tobias. He stayed well out of reach, crossing the finish line a length in front of Rosetown Princess.

“He’s a tough horse in conditions like these,” Dravitzki said. “At the start of the day, I thought he was my best chance today. When the other horse won, it made him look even better.

“I never really doubted that he’d get 2000m, and the track certainly helped him today.”

Tobias has now had 32 starts for eight wins, four placings and $201,727 in stakes. He has a particular affinity for New Plymouth, where his 12 starts have produced five wins and two placings.

Sole is forming a highly successful partnership with Tobias. Saturday’s victory was the 21-year-old’s fourth win from just eight rides on the gelding.

Dravitzki was also delighted with Im Bartholomew, who finished strongly down the outside to win his Rating 65 sprint assignment by two and a half lengths with Mereana Hudson in the saddle.

The five-year-old Complacent gelding is now a two-time winner from six starts. He boasts a two-from-two record in New Zealand, having begun his career with four starts in Victoria.

“It’s been a long journey with this horse, he’s been around a bit, but he’s shown up in both starts for me so it’s good,” Dravitzki said.

“This run wasn’t really planned. We decided to run him here to get him ready for his next two starts. I thought the 990m might be too short for him. But these track conditions might have found them out a bit.

“He has the action of a better-ground horse, and he’ll get out over a bit further. He might be another Tobias, I think – a good miler.”

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