The Tough Tart

A mare with terrific tenacity, Clos De Tart (4 m Darci Brahma - Rapid Kay, by Towkay) made the most of atrocious conditions to win the Dave, Fred & Michael Laurich Benchmark 65 1400 metres on May 14 at Te Aroha.

Six millimetres of overnight rain meant the track conditions were Heavy10 before racing commenced, but steady rain saw the track downgrade to Heavy11 by the fifth race and times reflected mid winter heavy when Clos De Tart ran at 3:55pm.

“It was a gutsy effort in testing conditions and I feel she has really come of age in this preparation,” said Te Akau trainer Jason Bridgman.

“Backing off over the summer months allowed to her to develop through a growth spurt and she has come back a sounder and stronger mare, for it.

“She is a mare we hope to work through the grades and the goal would be to get some black type with her later on,” said Bridgman.

Punters took note of her performance when a check cost her finishing closer than fourth fresh-up on Anzac Day to Katie's Cove (Zabeel), who had since finished second in the Hawkesbury Guineas (Gr. 3, 1400m) in Sydney, and Clos De Tart was sent off a $4.20 & $1.80 favourite.

Suited by drawing wide, jockey Matt Cameron had Clos De Tart in a forward position at the 1000 metres and she appeared to travel best when moving onto the lead inside the 600m. She established a two length advantage wide on the track at the 300 metres and stuck gamely to her task over the concluding stages.

The trying conditions were reflected in a time of 1:32.9 for the 1400 metres, and last 600m in 43.

In winning, Clos De Tart emulated her only other course attempt when also striking heavy ground she was successful on debut over 1200 metres in April last year at Te Aroha.

Matt Cameron said: “It's always hard for a horse to carry fifty-seven and a half kilos on that kind of track, but she travelled through it really well and it was a pretty easy win in the end."

“She had won there before on similar footing. I got her to right part of the track and she certainly deserved the win considering she was unlucky last start not to have run a place behind Katie's Cove at Avondale. You wouldn't even know it was a heavy track with her, as she just scampered through it easily and it was a top effort."

With two wins at the meeting, Cameron has pinched a valuable five win buffer on his closest rival, Mark Du Plessis, and now back in trim after being sidelined with a knee injury he has his sights on winning the Jockey Premiership that has just eluded him in the past two seasons.

Cameron has 114 wins to his credit with eleven weeks of the season remaining.

“It is good to have the buffer and I have seven rides on Friday at Timaru, and some good rides also on Saturday at Awapuni,” said Cameron. “It would be good to get a few more wins this week.

Placed third on two occasions at Group One level, Rapid Kay, the dam of Clos De Tart, also impressed on yielding ground in a career of five victories from 1300m to 1600m. Trained by Mark Walker at Te Akau stables in Matamata, Rapid Kay remains etched in the mind of Te Akau principal David Ellis after beating his future Champion Three-Year-Old and Horse of the Year King's Chapel (King of Kings) in the Canterbury Stakes (Listed, 1600m) at Riccarton.

Ellis subsequently secured Clos De Tart for $70,000 at the 2011 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale, from the draft of Little Avondale Stud, and she is owned by The Racy Ladies' Syndicate (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis).

"I was delighted to get a small group of racing women together to race Bubbles as she is known - David bought her for us and we have had a ball with her and we are very much looking forward to this prep - gosh she was tough today in that mud. Great training effort by Jason," said Karyn Fenton-Ellis.

"We have a lot of fun including an amazing "AGM" every year - they are wonderful women and we decided we were the "racy ladies" so I suspect Bubbles' victory today means some bubbles are on tonight's agenda for us all!"

Photo credit - www.raceimages.co.nz