In Brief
- Shutdown comes at a bad time for promising mare.
- Roach has been breeding thoroughbreds for over two decades.
- Promising two-year-old waiting to race.
Tasmanian racing is made up of many components with as many part-time players as there are professional in state training ranks.
One hobby thoroughbred trainer, Chester Roach, is one of the most passionate horse lovers in the game and his patience and determination shone through not long before the COVID-19 restrictions were enforced.
The night before racing was shut down, Roach reaped the rewards for his patience, determination and hard work when his promising mare A Tad More delivered a career-best effort to win a maiden/class one over 2100m in Launceston.
The daughter of Needs Further hasn’t always been able to produce that ability in her races but the way she went about dispensing with an odds-on favourite proved what Roach had always believed she possessed.
It was the mare’s second win from 18 starts but as her trainer, who trains from a modest-size property at Sidmouth says, she probably should have won five or six.
“She ran The Inevitable to just under a length on debut and we all know what he has done since, including winning a $500,000 race (Silver Eagle) in Sydney,” Roach said.
“I can’t count the number of times she should have won races but many times it was by her own doing.”
Roach’s works full-time as a delivery-driver for PFD Food Services and has done for many years until the COVID-19 pandemic rendered that to part-time.
The coronavirus also nipped his racing role in the bud due to the industry being shut down earlier this month.
A Tad More is still a work in progress but she showed what she’s capable of at her past start before the shutdown and her trainer is waiting with baited breath for her to get back to the track.
“I’ve kept A Tad More ticking along but the longer we go with uncertainty about when we can resume racing I’ll probably end up having to tip her out.
“Once we have a return to racing date then I can start making plans but I also am aware that with such a long break from racing there won’t be any distance races (2100m) so I’ll have to wait even longer for A Tad More to find a suitable race.”
Roach had his full-time job cut back to two days a week, which allowed him to concentrate on home schooling his two children, Jack (11) and Noah (10).
“My wife, Bronwyn, works full time so I have taken on the home schooling role, so I’m kept busy every day.”
“I am enjoying the new challenge (home schooling) but I am also looking forward to racing resuming.”
Roach, 40, has been involved in thoroughbred breeding for two decades and has enjoyed moderate success with horses he has bred.
“I got involved in breeding and I think my first yearling went through the ring in 2002.
“But I was just a small vendor at the sales and the year I bred a magnificent yearling by West Quest from a top-producing mare it sold for only $8000 and everyone who saw the horse told me it would bring upwards of $20,000.
“I stopped breeding commercially after that and only bred ones that I’d race myself or race with friends and relatives.”
Roach is looking forward to a two-year-old filly he has in work that is by Wordsmith from his handy broodmare Gold Option.
“We’re just waiting on a name for the 2YO filly and I am really looking forward to her racing because she’s shown a bit on the training track.”
Roach also has a yearling by Mawingo from the same mare but he might need time.
“The Mawingo gelding is very leggy and clearly the biggest foal I’ve bred, so I probably won’t break him in until he is three.”
Watch A Tad More win a maiden/class one over 2100m in Launceston on 1 April.