A $2,000 purchase for Wesley Vale trainer Glenn Stevenson has provided a much-needed boost to his first-time owners thanks to a very timely win in a TASBRED bonus race in Launceston last Saturday.
Rhyme Writer broke through for his maiden victory for Stevenson at start number five thanks to a superb ride from Craig Newitt in the Carlton and United Breweries Maiden over 1200m.
With a few of the owners in the 3-year-old gelding adversely affected by the fallout out of the current COVID-19 crisis, the win provided a much-needed distraction, not to mention some handy prize money, including a $16,000 owner bonus as part of the TASBRED scheme.
“My family, the daughters and my wife, took half of him, and the rest are first time owners,” Stevenson said when asked about the ownership in the son of Wordsmith.
“One bloke that is in him, he bought the main restaurant in the district, Belly’s Bar and Grill along with his main worker and they had to shut everything up the other day. It a good kick along for them.
“The people out at Shearwater Country Club, the cook out there and the bloke that runs the joint have got a share. They are out of work at the moment, so it’s a real kick along for them too.”
Stevenson is hopeful that it won’t be the only payday the owners get from Rhyme Writer, who was initially passed in at the 2018 Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale before being bought for just $2000,
“He was a passed-in lot at the Magic Millions Sales and a mate of mine, David Keating went and saw Rhonda Hall, who bred him and she said she just thought he’d take a bit time,” he said,
“We gave him that time, and he’s still really six months away. He’s an immature type. But he’s improved every prep he has had.
“He’s physically immature, but mentally as well. He wouldn’t go a yard without blinkers, things like that. I’ve galloped him with horses, and he’s been an embarrassment. Every week, he’d try something different and that was the immaturity of him. His last couple of gallops have shown he has grown up a bit.”
Key to Saturday’s win was the experience of Newitt, who was worded up by Stevenson about all of Rhyme Writer’s tricks after he had struggled in his most recent run in February.
“Being owned by first-time owners, we ran him Launny Cup day because everyone was going. It rained and he never got into it and wasn’t interested in the surface,” the trainer said.
“We looked at that race and saw the bonus and thought we’d freshen him up and go for it. It was just a great ride. He finally drew a gate and Frog got him out, the only instructions were to get him out and he’d give himself a chance.
“Usually he messes about carries on with his head and has been missing it. But Froggy was pretty focussed on getting him out and as soon as he jumped, I thought we are three quarters of the way home here.”
Having broken his maiden, Rhyme Writer will tell Stevenson, like he always does, whether he has had enough this preparation, or whether he will be able to press on with him to the upcoming TASBRED 3-year-old races.
Rhyme Writer has now won over $35,000 in prize money in his five starts, including the $16,000 owner bonus for Saturday’s win as well as a $4000 breeder bonus, which will go to Twelve Oaks Thoroughbreds Rhonda Hall, who bred him from her mare, Rock Lyric.
“It’s an excellent thing and it’s the one thing that has injected a bit back into the racing,” Stevenson said of the bonus. “We’d be struggling if we didn’t have them.”
Watch the replay of Rhyme Writer winning in Launceston last Saturday.