Syndicate ecstatic with the victory
BY TONY BIRD
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Racing
The Waimea racing syndicate was celebrating big time on the champagne turf at Trentham on Saturday.
The Taranaki syndicate joined New Plymouth trainer, Bryce Revell, in toasting the prestige group one victory of its horse Ekstreme.
The four-year-old mare landed the major prize in the $200,000 Captain Cook Stakes (1600m), feature race at the Wellington Racing Club's meeting.
"We were absolutely ecstatic," said syndicate manager Mike Thompson yesterday after having celebrated the success long into the night. "We were speechless for a little while until it sank in."
Thompson and Revell are two of 18 – the majority from Taranaki – who are shareholders in the 11 shares involved in the ownership of Ekstreme.
Making up the lucky partnership are Thompson's daughter Philippa, Gerry O'Sullivan, John Stevenson, Chris Stevenson, Richard Toon, his wife Grazia and their son Nick, Murry and Sandra Feek, Merv and Patricia Whittle and their son Chris, all of New Plymouth, Claude and Jo Pattinson, of Stratford, Phil Trevenson, of Auckland, and Wanganui's Trevor Stevenson.
The Waimea syndicate was started a decade ago, initially made up of Waimea Bowling Club members, including Thompson, who is now president of the New Plymouth sports club.
The syndicate's previous best horse was Janesee, the winner of four races from Revell's stable, but other than that no others were good enough to win a race.
"So we've been going a few years and in that time we've had a few say we've had enough and pulled out.
"Since we've had Ekstreme racing, there's been a few that have said they would like to come back in," Thompson chuckled.
Originally the syndicate raced Ekstreme on lease from Stoney Bridge Stud, but after the filly won the Lowland Stakes at Trentham last February it exercised the right to purchase the horse for $30,000.
It has proved a wise investment.
Before Saturday's race, Ekstreme had won prizemoney of $137,025, the $118,000 purse of her latest victory boosting her earnings to $255,000 with a record of 20 starts for five wins, two seconds and a third.
"It's not just the prizemoney, it's her value now having won a group one race," said Thompson.
"She's only a four-year-old so, providing she stays sound, she has a lot of racing ahead of her and of course there's her value as a breeding proposition."
Thompson estimated Ekstreme would now be worth in the vicinity of $1 million.
Ekstreme's latest win really puts her trainer on the map.
"I will now be able to stand in the coffee hut at the (New Plymouth) track and drink coffee with John Wheeler and Allan Sharrock," Revell, one of racing's battlers, quipped.
A former successful jumps jockey, Revell, 40, served his apprenticeship with Wheeler.
Like most young trainers just starting out, Revell struggled away with unfashionably bred horses in the hope of one day striking a top horse.
Saturday's win is easily Revell's best in about 10 years of training, the last five as a professional. "Group one races are the pinnacle for every trainer and they make it worthwhile getting out of bed early every morning to head to the track."
"This is a huge win for me and I'm rapt," he said, adding he was training in a small way with only 12 horses in his stable. "If I had 20 or more then I couldn't do what I like doing and that's taking them to the beach and places like that. I try and vary their work as much as I can."
Ekstreme has been nominated for both the City of Auckland Cup (2400m) at Ellerslie on January 1 and the Wellington Cup (2400m) later the same month but Revell said those races just remained "possibilities".
More definite was the Group One $200,000 weight-for-age Zabeel Classic (2000m) at Ellerslie on December 26.
"I'm pretty sure she'll get 2400 metres but 2000 metres will probably be her best distance because she has that bit of zip," Revell said.
Revell's long-term aim with the horse is the Cox Plate, Australasia's weight-for-age championship, raced at Moonee Valley, Melbourne, each October.
"That's a target. I think the race would suit her."
- © Fairfax NZ News
