Redzel year of rags to riches
SYNDICATOR Chris Ward concedes there’s a world of difference between Redzel’s 2017 tilt at the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 and the one confronting the sprinter in Saturday’s $700,000 feature.
Redzel was sent out a $9 chance in the race 12 months ago but will start a hot favourite to defend his crown on Saturday, having established himself as the benchmark sprinter in the southern hemisphere since bagging his first Group 1 at Doomben.
Ward and his brother, Michael, who run Triple Crown Syndications, put together a team of owners who could not have dreamt what would transpire in the past 12 months.
“They are an excitable bunch. They are enjoying it and so they should. It’s an amazing ride they’re on,” Ward said of Redzel’s syndicate of owners.
“There’s a lot of ups and downs in racing and you have to enjoy those good times.
“You can’t imagine any horse gets to this sort of level, with this sort of consistency.
“When we did come up there to Brisbane last year, we knew he was on an upward spiral and you just don’t know where that’s going to stop.
“We were excited for the future and he has managed to keep building from that time and set us along a path that’s just been amazing for all of us.”
There’s not many areas Winx has been outpointed in Australian racing in the past three years but Redzel’s connections can boast to have won
more prizemoney than the great mare this season, having banked $7,497,300 since he won last year’s 10,000.
Add the money from Redzel’s Doomben success and that figure becomes almost $8 million in his past eight starts.
The $5,800,000 for winning The Everest in October bolstered that total but there’s hardly been a blemish on Redzel’s scorecard in the past year.
Ward believes Redzel is going better than ever and tipped him to improve on what he did when second to Trapese Artist in the T.J. Smith Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on April 7.
Redzel drew barrier six in the 14-horse 10,000 field while Gold Coast filly Houtzen (14) and Murwillumbah star Care To Think (12) fared badly.