By Mike Dillon
Two things register about Stephen Autridge in the wake of Catamarca's remarkable $80,000 BNZ Breeders Stakes victory on Saturday.
First, Autridge qualifies as New Zealand's best trainer of 2-year-olds.
Second, you can do nothing but admire his dedication to now spell Catamara for the rest of the season at the height of the brilliant filly's form.
The temptation to press on, even taking on the guns in Australia with a filly who is clearly good enough to do that, is enormous.
But only Autridge knows the pressure he has had to put Catamarca under to get her through the Breeders Stakes and to remain unbeaten in three starts.
He gave some indication of how much pressure there had been on the camp immediately after the Gold Brose filly raced clear with a remarkable sprint in the final stages on Saturday.
"It's been scary to press on all the way through. We would be pushing our luck if we went any further," he said.
Autridge revealed he rated Catamarca a soft tracker after the filly ran on strongly into second on rain-affected footing at her first public appearance at the Te Teko trials in the early spring, so to campaign through a dry summer was a risk.
There is no doubting Catamarca's ability on firm tracks after registering electric times in her race day efforts.
But Autridge still clearly believes she may be even better suited, certainly as good, on slightly easier footing.
Which is why he is not keen to run her again on a concrete track and instead intends to spell her and race for the big money in Sydney in the early spring when tracks are generally easy and the opposition is quite often the same way.
"If the Lion Red Stakes at Taranaki was two weeks away we would perhaps consider it but it is three weeks until that race and she can be in the paddock for three weeks by then."
In both the selection of yearlings and in 2-year-old preparation Stephen Autridge admits he learned a lot from his time in Sydney with Paul Sutherland and later as a pre-trainer for Jack Denham.
Both trainers were renowned for being able to turn out horses capable of winning first up and when there was serious punting money at stake.
Sutherland was a brilliant horseman and trainer whose erratic temperament eventually undermined his highly successful operation.
After running a huge stable which focused on purchasing yearlings on a large scale then producing precocious 2-year-olds, Sutherland eased out of the Sydney scene.
He has been only semi serious training a small team on Queen- land's Sunshine Coast for a few years, but has just made the decision to move back to the big time in Sydney.
Autridge's selection process at yearling sales mirrors Sutherland's earlier search for get-up-and-run-quickly individuals.
"Paul was very good at what he did," Autridge said in admiration on Saturday.
Catamarca is not simply a speed machine.
She is the perfect racehorse.
She can sprint quickly then relax, she can lead or trail with equal comfort and when she sprints, watch out.
The sustained dash to the line on Saturday was pure magic. If she can replicate that as a 3-year-old she could be sensational.
If the body could cope she would be the perfect juvenile to take to Sydney right now, even continuing on through to the Golden Slipper.
She could cope with the blistering early speed of Sydney 2-year-old racing and could come out of a trail with a sprint that would match anything we have seen out across the Tasman so far.
When a horse has a three-from-three record it is difficult to apply the old racing line about it has been a long time between drinks for the owners, but two of the four owners of Catamarca can bring it into play.
Rotorua's Reg Durrant and Clive Wells from Levin can have a drink only when Catamarca wins. Durrant has battled a serious health problem for some time and Wells is sworn off alcohol because of diabetes.
"Reg and I can have a drink only after each win and tonight's going to be a bit of fun," Wells said on Saturday.
The next drink will not be until the spring, but it might be a wait worth enduring.
Pictured: Catamarca is airborne after demolishing her rivals in the Breeders Stakes on Saturday. PICTURE / MICHAEL TUBBERTY
Horse racing: Autridge to be patient with flyer
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