THE SEARS CELEBRATION: THOSE TEARS EXPLAINED

By Graham Potter | Friday, July 30, 2021

Immediately after Red Wave’s number went up in the frame at Ipswich, tears of joy flowed in the Sears camp.

Maddy was crying even before she was told about the Premiership win that Red Wave had just earned the stable. Leigh, who had only had the Premiership possibility mentioned to her a couple of races earlier (neither Maddy or Leigh came to the races with any knowledge of where they stood in the Premiership race) knew what the win meant and was jubilant at the outcome. Tony, was back home, soon to be on the phone, and he was as proud as the rest of the family at the stable’s achievement.

“He (Red Wave) is a two-year-old that I’m in shares with Janelle Webster, who is a great client of ours,” said Maddy Sears.

“He is a half-brother to a very special filly of mine, Exondabeach … that is why I was so emotional after the race … because I lost her, so for him to win like that was really overwhelming for me.”

Exondabeach (Tycoon Ruler – Sandy Shore) won her first two starts early in 2000 before finishing unplaced, as favouritre, behind the Odyssey in The Jewel Prelude. She then sadly was injured out in the paddock when being spelled and could not be saved.

The tears, then and now, were totally understandable.

Back on a positive note … “I didn’t know, but I kinda had a feeling that would be going pretty good in the Premiership at Ipswich because, for some reason, our horses just fly here,” said Maddy Sears.

“Then mum said, ‘you’ve won the Premiership’ and I just phoned dad straight away.

“it’s a great end to the season and a great launch into the new season so, hopefully, we have a great season ahead.

‘To win a Premiership in our first full season as a training partnership is an accomplishment in itself and I’m proud of that.”

And what about that other slice of history and the bragging rights that come with being the first father / daughter training partnership to win a Premiership. That fact still has to be verified, but at the time of writing it certainly looks like that is a ‘first’ … and we all know the nice thing about being ‘first’ at something is that that record can never be taken away from you.

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