Chad Ormsby and Ben and Ryan Foote have plenty on their plate in the build-up to next month’s NZB Ready to Run Sale at Karaka, but the multi-talented Cambridge horsemen also made their mark on the racetrack on Saturday with victories in $65,000 open handicaps at Ellerslie.
Ormsby will offer 20 two-year-olds under his Riverrock Farm banner during the Ready to Run Sale at Karaka on November 12 and 13, and they breezed up over a busy couple of days at Te Rapa last Monday and Tuesday. Ormsby quickly switched his attention back to his racing stable and sent out quality sprinter Master Fay (Deep Field) for a dominant first-up victory in Saturday’s Almanzor – Proven Value (1200m).
Just over an hour later, it was the Footes’ turn. The father-son partnership, who will offer an 11-strong St Kilda Lodge draft at the Ready to Run Sale, took out the Show By Skycity (1600m) with The Odyssey (NZ) (Zacinto).
There have been many setbacks in the stop-start career of Master Fay, who is now eight years old but lined up for only his ninth start on Saturday. He has now won four of those races including the Gr.3 Concorde Handicap (1200m) at Ellerslie in January of 2024.
Saturday’s open sprint was the Deep Field gelding’s first raceday appearance for 273 days, and he was sent out as a $6.50 second favourite among a six-horse field.
He was given a patient ride by apprentice jockey Sam McNab, settling at the back of the field before angling to the outside to make his run in the straight.
Master Fay moved through his gears and strode past his rivals with ease, beating fellow back-marker Hitabell (NZ) (Embellish) by three-quarters of a length with another two and a quarter lengths back to the third-placed Celestial Wonder (Xtravagant).
Ormsby and his wife Aliesha Moroney-Ormsby are spending the weekend in Hong Kong, where they are set to catch up with expat Kiwi trainer Jamie Richards. The stable was represented at Ellerslie on Saturday by Richards’ sister Libby.
“It was so exciting to see the horse finish the race off like that today,” she said. “All of the team at home have been working so hard. With the Ready to Run Sale breeze-ups last week, there’s a lot going on. So this is really rewarding for all of us.
“Chad and Aliesha are in Hong Kong at the moment, and they’re going out for dinner with Jamie and Danielle (Johnson), so they’ll have something to celebrate now. Master Fay’s a former Hong Kong horse too, so it’s a great result and we’re really thrilled.”
The Odyssey followed a similar script in Saturday’s open mile. Two weeks after resuming with an eye-catching run into third over 1300m at Taupo, the son of Zacinto settled in second-last before being set alight in the straight by jockey Courtney Barnes.
The Odyssey powered home down the outside and went on to win by three-quarters of a length from Meaningful Star (Pivotal) and Livid Sky (NZ) (Proisir).
“He’s come back really well this time in, he’s a lot stronger now and racing really well,” Ryan Foote said. “He appeared to do it pretty easily today, so we can start thinking about some other targets once we see how he comes through this win.”
The Odyssey has now had 21 starts for seven wins, five placings and $400,570 in stakes. He made his mark in New Zealand’s staying ranks last season with a third in the Gr.3 Waikato Cup (2400m) and fourth in the Gr.3 Counties Cup (2100m).