Promising winter galloper Tobias provided Tony Dravitzki with the highlight of his training career so far in Saturday’s Vintech Pacific Poverty Bay Cup (1600m) at Hastings.
Tobias has rapidly risen through the grades in recent months, going from placing at Rating 65 grade in April to winning back-to-back Rating 75’s, presenting the opportunity to contest the $55,000 feature.
Dravitzki often has engaged apprentice jockeys to decrease the diminutive gelding’s impost and four-kilogram claimer Elle Sole brought his weight down to just 50kg, placing him a key hope at $3.90 with consistent galloper Belle’s Echo closing favourite at $3.
Sole pressed forward from the outside barrier of seven and sat three-wide early before taking up the pace making role alongside Hacksaw Ridge. Tobias looked to be under pressure turning for home, but in the six-year-old’s customary style, he was in for the fight and lifted strongly to edge out Hacksaw Ridge by a half-head at the post.
Dravitzki was rapt to pick up the feature flat event on the Hastings card, after feeling relatively confident prior to the race.
“That was easily the highest stake I’ve ever had a horse compete in, so to win it was just unbelievable really,” he said.
“I was feeling pretty confident with the big pull in the weights that he had, and how well he had done since his last race. He was really full of himself in the morning, so I was hopeful he would put a good run in.
“That was the way he had won his last two races and the idea was to take a trail if the speed was on, but Elle said there was no way he was going to trail, he just wanted to go so she let him.
“Tobias can’t carry big weights, hence why five of his six wins have come with apprentice riders. Ciel Butler won three on him as well, then Elle had the four-kilo claim so she got the ride. She’s always keen to help out at the Taranaki jump-outs and is very nice girl to deal with.”
The Stratford trainer considered the likes of the Listed Opunake Cup (1400m) and the Gr.3 Winter Cup (1600m) for Tobias in the coming months, but has opted to send him for a spell as Dravitzki also heads away for a holiday.
“I’m taking my family on holiday in a weeks’ time, and I think he has earned a holiday himself so he’ll probably have three or four weeks out in the paddock,” he said.
“We’ll decide when we get back what his next plan will be.”
Dravitzki bred the son of Complacent alongside his brother John and brother-in-law Ian McCaul, who are all in the ownership of the gelding who has now earned $110,027 in stakes in 24 starts.
“It is very satisfying when you breed, own and train the horse to win a race like that, it was a real highlight,” he said.
“This is a lifetime thrill for myself, John and Ian, we intend to get together and celebrate this week as we do after each win because we know how hard it is to get them.
“Tobias has been through the mill with injuries over the years, mostly self-inflicted. Nothing too serious, but even the breaker said he was the toughest he’s ever broken in.
“My current farrier Liam Newton does a fantastic job with him, he had an issue of hitting himself when he galloped but Liam seems to have fixed that up.
“I also have to thank my track rider Shannon Coull, she is very reliable and a very good rider. She has been riding for me since I got back into training about seven or eight years ago.”
Tobias is out of the trio’s Zabeel mare Zabolta, who has produced two foals to race and is currently back in foal to Grangewilliam Stud sire The Bold One.
“Tobias had two older sisters that were both just too small and too slow, but the mare this year is in the foal to The Bold One, which we are really chuffed about,” Dravitzki said.
“I do enjoy the breeding, but it’s pretty easy to get a paddock full of horses so I’ve limited myself down to just one or two broodmares a year now.”
