Provence headlines red-letter day with Thorndon Mile victory
Dennis Ryan - Raceform • January 16th, 2025 3:30 PM
Red-letter occasions don’t come much better as the middle day of the Wellington Cup carnival for the trio of trainer Stephen Marsh, jockey Sam Spratt and owner-breeder Tony Rider.
Between them last Saturday they won the Gr. 1 Harcourts Thorndon Mile with Provence; Marsh and Spratt combined as well with first starter To Cap It All in the Listed Wellesley Stakes; Spratt and Marsh each had a treble – hers completed by Savaglee in the Gr. 2 Levin Classic and his with Sinhaman in a support race – and Rider’s colours were also carried to victory by The Stoney One in the open sprint.
Put it all together and that’s quite a hand by three of racing’s most popular members on one of racing’s biggest days. For Marsh it continued his big play in the training ranks one that in the past five years has seen him top 1,000 wins and break the 100-wins per season barrier in establishing his Cambridge stable in second ranking behind the Te Akau powerhouse.
Right now, however, he’s engaged in a tight battle for second on the premiership with the resurgent Wexford pairing of Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott, but with fresh talent resulting from some bold buying decisions over recent years his continuing presence is assured.
At 40 years, Spratt has arguably never ridden better than over the past little while. Her narrow win on Provence typified her hustle and bustle approach, making the most of a favourable draw and finding the gaps at the right time for Group One victory number 22.
Her previous Group One win came on Savaglee in November’s New Zealand 2000 Guineas, the Pam Gerard-trained colt now having contributed five black-type wins to Spratt’s tally over the past two seasons and four of those to her current tally of 12 in a total of 48 wins that have her third on the jockeys’ premiership.
Cambridge breeder and all-round racing enthusiast Tony Rider has enjoyed success that reflects his massive investment in Milan Park, which now ranks as more than a boutique operation and boxes well above its weight.
He’s happy to share his success, in Provence’s case leasing a 50 per cent share to the Brent Copper-managed Social Racing Syndicate, whose members kicked up quite a hullabaloo when she snatched victory in the Thorndon Mile.
“It’s been great having Brent and Wendy and all their syndicate members on board; winning a Group One is the ultimate for anyone involved in racing and I was just as thrilled for them as I was for me and my family,” Rider said. “It’s a good feeling to be able to share it with other people.”
Rider’s list of major wins over recent years include another daughter of Savabeel, New Zealand 1000 Guineas winner The Perfect Pink, while he is also a part-owner with the Dennis brothers in one the best and toughest members of that famous Southland breed, The Chosen One.
Rider bred Provence on the same Savabeel-Flying Spur cross as The Chosen One, having bought her dam Sombreuil from Trelawney Stud as a one-race winner off the track.
“Even though she didn’t have black-type, she had the bloodlines I was looking for and she’s done a very good job for us,” Rider said. “Provence was the first filly from her and I retained her for the future, then I sold her next two, also by Savabeel, at Karaka.
“Damask Rose, who David Ellis paid $200,000 for, has got any amount of ability and there are exciting times ahead for her. Phill Cataldo bought the next filly for the same money for an Australian client, and the mare had another Savabeel filly that’s now a yearling. She foaled to Super Seth in the spring and went back to Savabeel.”
Waikato Stud’s champion stallion figures prominently in Rider’s bloodstock portfolio, having bought a share in Savabeel when he was initially syndicated and adding another two since.
“Savabeel has been very good to me,” he says succinctly. “He’s such a good stallion and I’ve been very fortunate to be able to send six mares a year on my shares as well as others that I’ve paid for.”
One Savabeel yearling – a colt from the stakes-winning O’Reilly mare The Solitaire and thus a brother to The Perfect Pink – is in Milan Park’s Karaka 2025 draft, and Rider doesn’t hide his excitement at what’s ahead.
“He’s a stunner, very athletic and very much a Savabeel. We’re looking forward to seeing him in the ring.”
Milan Park’s 15-strong, all-colts draft – six in Book 1 and nine in Book 2 – also includes the progeny of Almanzor and Shocking and Australian sires Anamoe, Farnan and Rebel Dane. The Shocking colt is a half-brother to last season’s New Zealand Oaks winner Positivity, while the Farnan is interestingly bred, by a Golden Slipper-winning son of Not A Single Doubt from the immediate family of the former champion sire.
Rider is also excited at the prospect of the first crop of The Chosen One being offered at Karaka. Seven in total are in the catalogue, including Milan Park’s colt from the proven southern family of Gr. 1 Turnbull Stakes winner Smokin’ Romans.
“He was such a good racehorse, Murray (Baker) always said you couldn’t wish for better they way he behaved around the stables, raced consistently against the very best and was such a delight to train.
“I’ve been his biggest supporter at stud – I sent 18 mares to him this year – and believe me, they’re amazing types.”
Picture at the Top of the Page: In a stacked finish with only a length over the first eight placegetters, Provence (Sam Spratt) wins the Gr. 1 Harcourts Thorndon Mile. Photo: Supplied
