Trainer Nigel Tiley was looking forward to a leisurely Sunday morning bike ride in Queensland, away from the chilly New Zealand weather, after celebrating a special win at Ruakaka on Saturday.
Tiley and wife Lee are in the middle of a three-month winter break from New Zealand racing as they lap up the warmer winter temperatures from their property in Hervey Bay, which is approximately three hours north of Brisbane.
While Tiley was determined that he and Lee would have a decent break away from the pressure of his Pukekohe-based training operation this winter, the couple did find themselves caught up in the excitement of raceday once again as their five-year-old mare Barbara (NZ) (He’s Remarkable) went the race of her life when taking out the ITM/GIB Whangarei Gold Cup (2100m) at Ruakaka on Saturday.
Owned by the pair along with Lee’s sister Mandy Rutherford, Barbara is currently in the care of Pukekohe-based conditioner Kylie Grass, who has played a large part in the success of the mare through her role in getting the daughter of He’s Remarkable to the racetrack after she suffered a nasty leg injury.
“That was just so cool to see that mare win the way she did and to see the joy that it brought Kylie,” Tiley said.
“I’m just so thrilled for her as I know how much work she put into the mare when she was rehabbing her.
“We originally gave her to Kylie to look after when she was recovering from being caught in a fence and cutting her back leg pretty badly.
“Kylie used to take her walking in the salt water at the beach and spent hours with her.
“She didn’t have a trainer’s license at that stage, so I said to her that if she got her license, she could start off with Barbara.
“She won her first race with her before she gave her back to me for a while.
“When Lee and I were planning this holiday, we asked Kylie if she would take her, and she jumped at the chance.
“I think I got as much pleasure from Kylie’s reaction as anything else, as when you can give someone a helping hand, it’s a pretty magical moment to see them do well.”
Tiley admitted the win got his competitive juices flowing although he is in no hurry to head back home while he is enjoying his first proper break from training in a number of years.
“It took a few weeks to really relax when we first got here, but now we are just loving the peace and quiet,” he said.
“We have bought a four-bedroom house here at Hervey Bay and we’ve done a few things that need doing, but mainly we have just spent our time chilling out.
“We have managed to visit nearby Fraser Island for a few days and have another four-day excursion planned for next week.
“This is what we needed as the stress and pressure of training year-round is very draining.
“We had been planning to do this for a few years now and the way it has gone I think it will become a regular thing.
“New Zealand is still very much our home and I am looking forward to getting back in a month or so, but while we are here, I’m going to enjoy every minute I can.”
Although he has tried not to think too much about racing, Tiley has been in contact with the people looking after his team for next season and expects to hit the ground running when he returns in September.
“We’ve currently got Derek Nolan doing some pre-training of two or three for us while Catherine Cleghorn also has a couple out at the beach,” he said.
“By the time we get home they will be ready to come into the stable, so I’m hoping we can get up to speed pretty quickly.”
