ANOTHER HOME TOWN DOUBLE FOR TEAM SEARS

By Graham Potter | Saturday, July 1, 2023

A home-town double is nothing new for the Tony and Madisen Sears training partnership.

There is no set formula for achieving this target and on the night of July 1 at Toowoomba the Sears double arrived via a short-priced favourite and a winner at double-figure odds.

The $11 chance Terrius was the first to strike in a BM65 Handicap over 1625m.

Barrier draw number seven in a field of nine held no fears for Nozi Tomizawa who speared Terrius across from his wide draw … clearly intent on taking no prisoners from the outset.

The strong early move strung the field out in no uncertain terms, to the extent that Terrius led the second placed Lucky Bean (the $2.25 favourite) by a little under three lengths as he took the field down the back straight.

From the midway mark Lucky Bean began to get closer and started to apply pressure to Terrius as these two runners raced together to the point of the home turn.

Also, at that point, some serious runs were starting to come from behind.

Terrius found a much needed kick on straightening, but there were a number of challenges still in play that would not away and Terrius had to deal with a line of runners snapping at his heels in what must have felt like a long run home for Tomizawa and the connections of the Sears trained runner.

To the six-year-old son of Red Dazzler’s credit though, he stuck bravely to his task, an effort which resulted in him securing his sixth career win by a 0.40 length margin.

This was to be Terrius’s last race for the Sears stable at this time as the thirty-eight-race veteran has now moved to the yard of Craig Smith, who will be the gelding’s fourth trainer.

Terrius, in fact, had two spells with the Sears team, winning four out of fourteen starts for the stable between July 2019 and February 2021 … and then winning two out of ten starts second time around for the stable between August 2022 and July 2023 … meaning all of Terrius’s six wins came under the guidance of the Sears stable.
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Unlike Terrius who was easy to back at $11, The Punisher, the Sears Teams second winner on the night, started at the restrictive odds of $1.60 in a QTIS Two-Year-Old Maiden Handicap over 1200m … a race in which only one other runner was quoted in single figures.

This was only The Punisher’s third start and he had figured in the betting in both of his previous outings, most notably when shortening from $4.40 to $3.20 in the start at Doomben leading into this race.

While he only recorded a fourth place result there, The Punisher finished just 0.60 lengths behind the winner … in city company remember … so, that location and the obvious merit in the finish was enough to get The Punisher an all around nod of approval from punters here in a race with obvious less depth.

Nozi Tomizawa was once again in the irons and, like Terrius, both horse and rider had to cope with a wide barrier (the worst of the draw, in fact … nine out of nine) … and while the strategy was similar to the stable’s first win on the night, this one was a more watered down version of Terrius’s early tearaway tactics.

Yes, Tomizawa pushed The Punisher forward … but this time it was a very much more measured approach. just enough to ensure that The Punisher landed just off the speed, in an attacking third place, less than two lengths behind the early leader Chirrup.

The Punisher was up into second place approaching the home turn … and going well … but the frontrunning Chirrup was showing no signs of stopping, meaning that The Punisher would have to earn the victory if it was to come his way, and he duly knuckled down to the task in the run home.

Chirrup was up for the fight, but The Punisher kept coming and finally took Chirrup’s measure inside the final 100m and then didn’t flinch when Chirrup briefly threatened to come back at him again.

The Punisher ultimately went to the line with a length to spare and the Maiden win in the bank.

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