Photo: Trish Dunell
A victory on New Zealand racing’s biggest stage is set to give talented mare Tevere a much needed boost of confidence after a luckless run at Group level this season.
The daughter of Contributer had shown promise early on in her career, winning five of her first 10 starts, however, her form had tapered off this preparation, finishing midfield in her five appearances, the last three at Group level.
For her next outing, trainers Michael Moroney and Pam Gerard kept her on the main stage when heading to Te Rapa for Derby Day on Saturday for the Alpha First Mortgage Investments 1500, and they were pleased to see her return to her winning ways.
“Last year she went through the grades pretty quickly and all season she’s been racing against the best,” Gerard said.
“Her runs haven’t been bad, but back to open class and it’s just a step back which has seen her win and a chance to get her confidence back.
“She’s certainly got it all there, but maybe we just put her in the deep end a bit soon.
“She dug deep. Over a shorter distance she’s been found wanting a little bit and we tried her at a mile and she didn’t quite get it, but the track was off that day.
“It’s great for Gordon (Cunningham, owner-breeder), he puts so much into the industry and she’s a really good mare that has plenty in her yet.”
Tevere was ridden by Jake Bayliss, who was expecting a bold run following her trackwork earlier in the week.
“I gave her a hard gallop the other day to remind her of what she’s here for and since then her work has been great,” Bayliss said.
“I was really excited to get on her race day and had her down as one of my best rides today (Saturday).
“It was fortunate to get the job done for Ballymore Stables. Pam and her staff are great and they’ve always been loyal supporters of mine, so it’s great to reward them.”
Cunningham was delighted to welcome back a winner on Derby Day.
“It was a good ride by Jake, saving ground and once into the clear the filly put her head down in a show of real determination,” Cunningham said.
“To win a race here on Derby Day will be a fond memory for a long, long time.” – NZ Racing Desk
