Vandyke’s Midas touch as imports blossom north

By Andrew Adermann

David Vandyke is enjoying an unprecedented start to the 2020/21 season, and it looks set to continue thanks to a trio of former NSW-based horses. 

The Sunshine Coast stable have kicked off the new season in stunning fashion, claiming 11 wins and seven placings from 23 starts, with a return on investment at a touch under 100%.

The partnership he has formed with jockey Ryan Maloney – made famous by Alligator Blood’s sustained success – also continues to flourish, with the ex-Victorian hoop piloting eight of the 11 winners this season.

As stable star Alligator Blood is prepared for interstate assignments, it’s three recent acquisitions in Cloak, Chauffeur and Desert Lord that will continue to fly the flag here in Queensland, with the trio each notching up debut wins north of the border.

“Taking on those tried and tested horses isn’t really something I was actively focusing on, I would be happy to have a smaller stable, but I certainly don’t want my stable to be getting any bigger,” Vandyke said.

“I have had success with the tried horses, so it’s really the choice of those electing to give me the horses, not my desire to attain them.

“I don’t think I’ve ever actually made a phone call to bring a horse here, I’m quite happy to be a small trainer.” 

Former Godolphin galloper Cloak made his stable debut at Ipswich on June 24, claiming a half-length win after nearly a year away from the track.

He has since gone on to win another two on the trot, his latest earlier this month at Doomben.

Chauffeur has been a journeyman in Australian racing, having previously been with no less than six different trainers in a 24-start career, which produced only two wins before arriving in Queensland.

Most recently with Joseph Pride, his group of owners made the decision to send the six-year-old north to Vandyke through their pre-existing relationship with the trainer.

“I train for one of the part-owners in B K Racing and I’ve had a long association with them so when he was not winning in Sydney they mentioned they were going to send him up and the rest is history,” Vandyke said.

The gelding didn’t disappoint on debut at Doomben, winning by a half-length against two fancied four-year-olds in the Gollan-trained Chico Milagro and the Edmonds-trained Astro Boy Toy.

“I was optimistic that he was going to run well first-up because he ran well in a jump out but it’s a different level of pressure on race day and I know some of these horses can switch off a bit so my focus was to just get him in a good mindset,” Vandyke said.

“What we’re doing is obviously working, and it’s a big thrill to see him win that race because he’s an older horse and I didn’t know whether he was still up for competition or not.

“He’s from the Magic Millions so we’ll give him another run and then a freshen up to aim him towards Magic Millions day.”

Desert Lord - the progeny of Group 1 winner Nova Star – began his career with the Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes team, showing glimpses of real potential during his time south of the border.

A Group 3 placing and an impressive run in the Group 1 Epsom Handicap in 2019 had commentators intrigued in the galloper’s ceiling, however, a string of unplaced Group 3 efforts coupled with at times erratic manners left his career at a crossroads at the conclusion of his five-year-old season.

“Similar to Chauffeur, one of the owners approached me and asked if I’d be interested in taking Desert Lord on if the rest of the syndicate were in agreement,” Vandyke said.

“It’s bizarre because Chauffeur and Desert Lord are very similar in many ways; mentally and physically they’re similar types and they’ve both followed a similar path into their first-up runs for me.

“I was filled with confidence that Desert Lord was going to win after Chauffeur won because they’ve been down the same road together.

“It was just a matter of trying to really switch on his competitive spirit, which we were fortunate enough to do.”

A pair of eye-catching trials as well as a change in racing pattern for the gelding once again caught the punter’s eye, coming up an even-money favourite in his first start in the Sunshine State, before being crunched in to $1.60 at the jump.

His debut run for the Vandyke stable was as easy a watch as you’ll see, with his previous tenancies to over-race up on the pace nowhere to be seen.

Sitting near-last in the nine horse field as heads turned for home, Maloney took Desert Lord to the middle of the track where in a matter of seconds he flashed past the field, opening up a three-length margin a furlong from the post.

Had Maloney not eased his mount up in the dying stages of the event, the official two-and-a-half length victory could’ve been far more telling.

“We went to the trials a couple of times and just rode him off the pace and it seemed to work well and we followed that into his race at the weekend and the rest is history,” Vandyke said.

“It was just a real delight to see him really attack the line, I just love seeing my horses really wanting to win.”

Whilst it’s no bold statement to say that tougher assignments lay ahead, for now the stable have no clear indication on where we may see the six-year-old over the coming months.

“I’m just assessing him at the moment, I’m not sure what our next steps will be; I just want to see how he comes through last Saturday and at the moment I’m happy enough with him but he’s still recovering and I don’t want to pre-empt anything before I see how his recovery is,” Vandyke said.

Vandyke remains philosophical moving forward following the unheralded success that has kicked off his season, knowing that it will only be a matter of time before it begins to plateau. 

But for now, he’s more than happy to ride the wave of success that his new stable stars have brought, and with Alligator Blood’s imminent return to the track this weekend, he’ll be hoping to ride that luck a little longer.

“Luck goes in cycles in all facets of life, and we’re just going through a good luck cycle at the moment and things are just falling in our lap – whether it be horses arriving or winning races,” Vandyke said.

“Like all trainers, I go through periods where things just aren’t working for me but it’s just the fact that it’s happened at the start of the season, so it’s become more obvious with all the stats looking more impressive.

“That won’t keep going, but I’m certainly grateful while it does – I can’t really say I’m doing anything different to what I was 12 months ago.”

Despite his blistering start to the current season, there’s no premiership aspirations for Vandyke as he continues to manage a small yet successful team on the Sunshine Coast.

“We’re just riding that wave while we’re on it and when it turns, we can be grateful for this period that we’re having,” he said.

“I never want to win a premiership because I’d have to have more horses than what I’ve got so it wouldn’t work for me to strive to want to win one – it wouldn’t suit my personality or my model.”