PATIENCE THE KEY TO SETTING UP ABAN'S FIRST WIN

By Graham Potter | Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Patience is a free commodity, but one that not everybody can master.

Almost any trainer of note though, uses the patience ‘factor’ to its full extent in terms of bringing a horse along at its own specifically required and preferred pace … ie at the rate of progression that will suit the horse best and allow it to reach its maximum potential in a measured. and not rushed, period of time.

David Vandyke is one who has tamed the patience beast and that element of his training mindset was once again very much in evidence with the win of the Savabeel gelding Aban in a Three-Year-Old Colts and Geldings Maiden Plate over 1350 at Ipswich on August 17.

Vandyke gave Aban three trials over a period of five months (from February 8 to July 12) before the astute trainer was prepared to give Aban his first taste of race action … and that came at his home track at the Sunshine Coast on July 31 where he finished second in a Maiden Handicap over 1200m, finishing just 0.30 lengths behind the winner.

With the benefit of that run under his belt, Vandyke stepped the distance test up to 1400m for Aban when he took him to Ipswich for his second career start where he started at the prohibitive odds of $1.45 … with only two other runners quoted in single figures.

It wasn’t quite the cakewalk that the betting suggested, but Aban duly got the job done after having to work for victory, hitting the line hard, an experience which will serve him well moving forward.

Ryan Maloney landed Anon in the leading line, was held out three wide in a keen early chase for the lead, but eventually ending up in a comfortable second place, just outside of and a little less than a length off the leader, the $6 chance Dominance.

These two runners held their position until the pace went on approaching the home turn.

At that stage, Maloney asked Anon to close the gap on Dominance and Vandyke trained runner immediately moved up alongside the early leader on straightening.
It looked like Anon would go right past Dominance at the stage, but Dominance was not done yet, and he kicked on strongly early in the straight, leaving Anon with a real fight on his hands.

These two runners then engaged in a stride for stride battle over the closing stages with Dominance just holding a narrow advantage for much of the way but, when it mattered most over the final 50m, Maloney drew something extra out of Aban, who slipped ahead late to secure his first win by a 0.20 length margin.

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