DONE DEAL: Jockey Dylan Mo gives a thumbs up after winning the City of Hastings Cup yesterday while trainer Trina Riddell takes care of Speech Craft. PHOTO/Duncan Brown
IT'S expected for Jonathan Riddell to find himself on the podium after race meetings to reflect and laud everyone involved soon after securing victories.
Yesterday the Manawatu jockey was back centre stage collecting the Russell Roads City of Hastings Cup but the day belonged to his camera-shy wife, Trina, who, as trainer of winning horse Speech Craft, quietly whisked away the 7-year-old gelding back to the stabling area.
Instead, she asked hubby Jonathan to receive the trophy at the sponsor's marquee where he revealed enough to ensure she got the kudos for a victory with Dylan Mo in the saddle at the feature race of the annual New Year's Day meeting.
The amateur jockey and Speech Craft upset favourites The Bold One (Johnathon Parkes) by a long head in the 1300m dash at the Hastings racecourse with the John Bary-trained Mae West (Robert Hannam) coming in third by a short head in a modest but "quality" field of five.
Riddell, who has been training for eight years, said The Bold One was "very classy".
"They always think he's unbeatable but I beat him in Palmerston North when he ran off the track and I was quite confident I could beat him again today," said the softly-spoken trainer whose smiling eyes failed to mask the delight.
She said Speech Craft had a propensity to excel if he settled well in the back to make a late surge in a crisp time.
It was the horse's second run under Riddell, winning in the first one with Mo on December 12 over 1200m at Awapuni but a week later finishing fifth at the same venue over 1400m after jockey Chris Johnson couldn't get him out of a traffic jam.
"He needs to come from outside of the track," she said, having beaten The Bold One twice now, with hubby Jonathan riding the rival horse when he can make the weight.
Riddell said Speech Craft was quite often "lazy and laid back" at home but on race day he turns it on, "having the will to pass them".
Jonathan often rode her horses but at 56.5kg Mo was the better fit for the job yesterday.
"Dylan rode him in Palmy North and rode him really well and he claims two kilos ... so that was better because he's only a small horse and Dylan also gets on really well with him," Riddell said.
The hands-on, race-day trainer said her husband didn't have any qualms about it because he did most of her trackwork in the mornings.
"He also gets a big thrill out of it, anyway."
She was over the moon with Mo who has only ridden twice for her and both times on Speech Craft.
He was diligent, doing his homework before races and had an impeccable record with previous trainer Richard Collett.
"He had been through all the video and before he came to ride Speech Craft the first time he knew a lot about him so today I didn't have to give him any instructions," Riddell said.
She paid $5500 for the gelding at the Windsor Mixed Bloodstock Sales in May without attending it but trusting her instincts simply by browsing through the catalogue.
Impressed with Speech Craft's form, she contacted jockey Leith Innes who gave his thumbs up for a sale under $10,000.
"I took him over winter but he spelled because he didn't like the wet tracks in winter."
Riddell couldn't afford to pay for Speech Craft so she put her feelers out to family and friends, including her parents and sister, to muster the sum.
"Some trotting boys down South", Blair Orange and Mark Jones and Andrew Stuart, had old affiliations so they joined the party as well.
While mindful hard-core buyers would shy from a 7-year-old horse, Riddell said one didn't need an expensive animal to win.
The Colletts had done a superb job with Speech Craft who had had only 28 starts and had looked after his legs.
"He had arrived in such great order that all I had to do was get him fit and line him up."
Riddell said the gelding was nominated for the 1200m group one Telegraph in Trentham this month but "it's just a pipe dream".
"I'm under a little bit of pressure to get him in there because the trotting boys down South are so excited that they bought tickets to the Telegraph, like two months ago, so whether he gets in the field or not is not the end of the world for me."
The trainer, who has had a group three victory two years ago at Trentham, said yesterday's cup win felt like a group one win.
Speech Craft will eventually be teen daughter Amber's show horse.
"I promised him to her already so he's a bit of pet at home so both our girls love him because he's just quiet around the stables and a nice-natured horse."
Bary was satisfied with Mae West's third place.
"I'm really happy with a close-up third on a field that might have been small but was packed with quality.
"She was right there in the noses and heads, right up to the finish," Bary said, adding the 5-year-old mare is headed for the main carnival in Wellington on January 16 although he wasn't sure what race.
He was toying with the idea of stepping her up to a miler, such as an anniversary handicap which will be a listed race that was crucial from a breeding perspective, or a rating 85 event.
His other horse, Savatag, with Riddell in the saddle, came up sore after the 1200m Stella Artois 3YO race four.
"We'll get to the bottom of it to see what's happened there to the beaten favourite," he said after the Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen-trained My Tommy and Parkes stole the thunder.
O'Know (Leah Hemi) was second and the Patrick Campbell-trained Richie Rox came in third with Miranda Dravitzki.
The owner of My Tommy, Tim Symes, of Hastings, said the plan was to head to Ellerslie (Auckland) on Karaka Millions night this month with the gelding after his maiden outing.
"We need to try a right-handed track at Ellerslie to see how he goes there," said Symes who has New Zealand Derby ambitions for the bay gelding in March.