FIRST SATURDAY CITY DOUBLE FOR THE TONY AND MADDYSEN SEARS TRAINING PARTNERSHIP

By Graham Potter | Saturday, October 15, 2022

To say that October 15 will stand out as a memorable day for the Tony And Maddysen Sears training partnership would be an understatement.

For a training team who loves landing a win anywhere in any class … it is always an absolute pleasure to watch Maddy Sears call home a winner … the first city double for the training partnership, achieved by Red Wave and Yellow Brick, in a super-charged forty minutes (it was a race-to-race double) will take some beating.

Throw in the win of another Sears trained runner Mah Precious at Stanthorpe, who actually kicked off the winning streak of the stable on the day, and it all translated into three stable wins in a little over an hour on the clock.

That’s about as good as it gets.
________________________________________________________________________

Red Wave came into a BM78 Handicap over 2218m at Eagle Farm on the back of a fine third place finish in the Toowoomba Cup.

The last time he was at Eagle Farm was also a special day because, although Red Wave didn’t get the result on that occasion, the fact that he was good enough to line up in the Group 1 Queensland Derby (in which he would finish in eighth place) was a notable entry on his resume.

This time he would earn the place in the winners’ enclosure.

Red Wave, who jumped as the second favourite at $4.50, landed in the leading line, but Ben Thompson was then happy to let the speed go around him out wide as he slotted Red Wave into a handy fifth place, having crossed to the rail, in the early part.

Thompson kept the son of Red Dazzler in that fifth place, four lengths off the leader, the $26 chance Saint Martin, loping along at a comfortable gallop all the way until the approach to the home turn where Thompson now had a decision to make as Red Wave became in danger in being boxed in along the inside.

With no clear gap available in front of him, Thompson had to switch Red Wave quite sharply early in the home straight and then had to balance him up again for the chase home.

By the time Red Wave started to quicken, there was still that four length margin to Saint Martin, who had kicked away, but the long-time leader did start to tire inside the final 150m, allowing the best of the chasers into the race … and that charge was now being led by Red Wave, who was flying up late.

The problem was Red Wave had the $2.90 favourite Otyrar in tow, to his outside, and, once Red Wave got to Saint Martin, his task now focused on holding the main fancy at bay.

That he did … to score by a hard-fought 0.15 lengths.

It was an so well-deserved victory by the ever game four-year-old.
_______________________________________________________________________

The year younger Yellow Brick was not going to be outdone on the stable scoreboard by Red Wave … and he claimed a very notable win of his own in his first race at a Metropolitan meeting when contesting a Three-Year-Old Plate over 1400m.

Two wins and a third place from only three starts reinforced Yellow Brick’s right to be in Saturday city class company, but he certainly wasn’t there to make up the numbers, and he further enhanced his reputation by landing a win which, in the end, was achieved with some authority.

Punters recognized Yellow Brick’s potential, with the son of The Mission starting favourite at $2.40.

Ben Thompson, fresh from his win on Red Wave, jumped Yellow Brick into an immediate lead and, soon after, he made certain to hold the rail and keep Boom Court ($4.40) out as that runner tried to come around him.

Once he had pushed Boom Court back into second place, Thompson then controlled the speed to the home turn, but he then had to get to work as the field turned for home as Boom Court emerged once again, this time providing a serious challenge to the Sears trained runner.

Halfway up the straight it looked like Boom Court might, in fact, have momentum on his side as he ranged up alongside Yellow Brick, but the latter not only has above average ability, but he also clearly has a fighting spirit and that kicked in with meaning over the final 150m … producing an effort that Boom Court simply could not match.

In the end Yellow Brick edged away to claim his third victory from only four starts with prize-money already banked of $153 650.
______________________________________________________________________

Earlier in the day, 220km from Eagle Farm, the Tony and Maddysen Sears team had struck at Stanthorpe with the four-year-old mare Mah Precious in a Maiden Plate over 1000m.

The daughter of Mahisara was only having only her second career start and had not raced since her debut all the way back on November 5, 2021.

So, her coming back as a winner was another very satisfying result for Team Sears.

Rhiannon Payne did the honours in the saddle.

More articles