Cadwaller’s special win at Manawatu

[Wandering Eyes]

By Jordyn Bublitz 

Tracy Cadwallader has never made any secret of how much The Big Bang means to her, and at Palmerston North on Thursday the lightly raced gelding rewarded her patience in memorable fashion. 

The four-year-old son of Sweet Lou stepped up in the Join The Turbos Syndicate Mobile Pace, scoring the first win of his career in only his second race day appearance.

The victory was particularly special for Cadwallader, who not only trains The Big Bang but also bred him. 

“I foaled him myself, he’s been with me since the day his eyes opened,” she said, “he’s got a gorgeous nature, the best of any horse I’ve ever come across.”

Cadwallader has taken her time getting the gelding to the races, choosing to wait until his four-year-old season before stepping him out. 

“He’s not a very big horse, and he’s just a bit immature in his brain, I don’t like to rush my horses and he needed the time.”

The meeting was part of the two-day Palmerston North programme, with The Big Bang making his raceday debut on Monday. That first outing didn’t go quite to script, with the gelding finishing sixth after getting things wrong heading into the final lap. 

Cadwallader wasn’t surprised. 

“It’s hard work trying to get a horse to the races down here. They can be really green because there’s not a lot of horses and often we don’t get to work with company. I had a funny feeling a few things were going to go wrong on debut, he’d never been around that many horses. He got checked and then just blew apart.”

Second-up on Thursday, he showed what he was capable of. Drawn two off the mobile, driver Michael Hay used the gelding’s natural speed to roll to the top before settling into a rhythm. 

Despite racing greenly, he travelled strongly enough in front to control the tempo and never looked like folding, holding his rivals at bay and winning by a length with Hay barely having to chase him.

Even with the result well in hand, Cadwallader admitted she was a nervous spectator. 

“It was scary even watching him, shying at all of the shadows, I almost couldn’t watch, I nearly had a heart attack,” she laughed.

For Cadwallader, the biggest reward is seeing her horses develop the right way. 

“He’s got a tonne of ability, for me it’s less about winning, I’m always more concerned with both horse and driver getting around in one piece. It is always a bonus when they do everything right and get the win. He’s still doing a lot wrong, and he’ll learn more the more he races.”

With natural speed, heart, and now a confidence-boosting win under his belt, The Big Bang will look to step out again at the next Palmerston North meeting.

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