Coffs Harbour preview: Watch out for Bronn

The Coffs Harbour horseman has earned a reputation for being a prolific trainer of winners around the Northern Rivers region and also as the master of one of the State’s boom apprentices, Kyle Wilson-Taylor.

Dodson’s immediate focus rests nearby on Sunday via Blackwater Bronn who leads the field out in the opening race.

The four-year-old gelding is a son of John Singleton’s Up And Coming Stakes winner War who is one of his sire More Than Ready’s more than 200 stakes-winners.

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Blackwater Bronn hasn’t been seen in full kit since he finished last of seven runners in his one and only start at Ballina in June.

“He trailed really well before his first run and he didn’t pull up real great after Ballina, he had a few aches and pains and I think he strained a muscle, a few little niggly things, so we turfed him straight out,’’ Dodson said.

“He has been pretty unlucky. We bought him as a two-year-old at the Ready To Run Sale on the Gold Coast and he is now four and is only just coming right now.

“He bruised a tendon as a young horse and had to have a good spell and needs more muscle over his leg so he has been a bit frustrating.

“He trialled nicely the other day and although the 1000m is probably shorter than what I wanted – he was in the 1100m first-up at Grafton but they moved the meeting to Coffs – he is nice and fresh and Coffs is a good, big track so that will give him every chance to run on,’’ Dodson said.

Not only does ‘Singo’ have his imprint all over Blackwater Bronn, so too does another industry heavyweight, Mark Read.

The former leviathan bookie and punter owned the gelding’s third dam, Cast Your Fate, who was a Bletchingly mare who foaled Group 2 NZ winning duo, Flying Babe and Belle Femme.

Stakes winning jockey Jon Grisedale will be of immense benefit to the inexperienced Blackwater Bronn on Sunday who may well have been otherwise ridden by Dodson’s star apprentice Kyle ­Wilson-Taylor.

Instead the Victorian born Wilson-Taylor will be in Queensland as his career takes the step next on what is sure to be a stellar career.

“Kyle has gone on loan for a few months up to Lindsey Hatch so I am riding a lot more myself so that’s going to keep me fit at least,’’ Dodson joked.

As Dodson counts the weeks until the end of 2020, he enters the new year with high hopes having built a foundation that will stand him in good stead.

“I am really happy,’’ he said.

“I have got a good client base and some really good owners. I have also got a lot of new horses coming out in the next couple of months that will be having their first start for me and we have got a real good number now. Everything is running really well and let’s hope we can have a bit of luck.’’

Clearly Dodson is hoping that luck extends into 2021 with a couple of bright prospects for the rich Country Championships which culminate at Royal Randwick in April.

“Pace Stick is a really good horse, he ran fourth in a Highway down there and he came back here and he has won three out of about seven so he is an up and coming horse,’’ Dodson said. “He will probably have a couple of runs before The Championships. I will throw him into town in a month’s time and give him a start down that way. I think 1400m is going to be right up his alley. And Quadriga, the horse that won at Canterbury for me, he strained a hind tendon and had to have four months off but he is back in work in preparation for (the Championships).

“They are the two horses I will certainly be having a look at for the Final if we can get them there.”

LOOKER TO FINISH BUMPER YEAR ON A HIGH

Cathy Chapman is confident Ben Looker will ride a few winners at Coffs Harbour on Sunday and she should know, having handed the Country Championship Final-winning jockey two hot chances.

Looker is not long off farewelling a cracking year in the saddle, riding with the consistency that has made him a favourite with punters and a go-to jockey for trainers.

Looker recently passed a milestone of 900 winners and this season is striking at 15.6 per cent which is almost 5 per cent above his career average.

His first ride for Chapman is Sweet William who has won just one from 25 with five placings but is rarely far away.

Granted his strike-rate is not comparable to that of his jockey’s but at least his win was as two starts ago at Grafton, one of Looker’s 175 winners at that track.

Sweet William backed up his win with a huge run at Ballina, coming from behind to finish second in a 1910m Class 1 last Sunday.

“He will be competitive,’’ Chapman says.

“He has done really since he went around last week. He has been having a little hack around with the little girl that rides him work. He is pretty happy and is dancing around.’’

Based on his last appearance, the step up to 2100m in the Mick Flick Horticulture Class 1 & Maiden Plate is tailor-made for Chapman’s beloved gelding.

Sweet William is something of a rarity in that he is one of only 13 live foals by his sire Redoubtablemperor, who stood for just four seasons at stud before passing away.

A son of Redoute’s Choice, Redoubtablemperor won three of his 39 starts, two with Ryan Wiggins aboard, the other when piloted by Tye Angland.

Sweet William races in the same ownership as Chapman’s Glycine Max who has won three times himself from 1540m to 2230m and was placed at the Gold Coast.

Chapman’s other runner on the Coffs Harbour card today is lightly raced promising mare La Cronica.

The four-year-old has raced five times for a win and two seconds and comes off a booming all-the-way victory at Grafton on November 17 in a good quality maiden.

“She is a very honest little mare,’’ Chapman said.

“She tries hard and is a brave little lady.

“It was a ten out of ten ride by Ben at Grafton and hopefully he can do the same again from barrier 4. She should have the run of the race, just cruise along comfortably, and see if she has got anything left to finish with.’’

La Cronica is a granddaughter of South Australian mare Pipkin, who won the Listed SAJC OJ Smith Challenge Stakes but was also placed in the SAJC Oaks.

Both her and La Cronica are members of one of the most celebrated families in the Australian Stud Book.

La Cronica’s famed ancestor is Civic Pride, who was a daughter of Ajax, the horse famous for being rolled as a 1/40-on favourite in the 1939 Rawson Stakes by Spear Chief.

Ajax was on duty at the historic Widden Stud for several seasons before being acquired by crooner and horse enthusiast Bing Crosby, who stood the horse at stud in America in the 1950s with limited success.