Waiting tactics return handsome dividend

Patience was rewarded in style on Monday afternoon when Waikato Flyer made the perfect start to his career at Bathurst.

The well-related three-year-old posted an encouraging debut performance when he came from the tail of the field to score over 1200 metres for trainer Greg Hickman and rider Grant Buckley.

The Waikato Stud-bred son of Savabeel had been unplaced in two lead-up trials, but a gear addition had the desired effect on the gelding.

“It’s taken a while to get here and he wanted to get his head up a bit at the trials so we put the cross over noseband on him,” stable representative Josh Lawrence said.

Waikato Flyer was slowly away today and settled a clear last before improving around runners 400 metres from home and finished powerfully wide out on the track to draw attention to his future prospects when stepped up in trip.

“He is only going to get better when he goes further, we’re very happy with him,” Lawrence said.

Waikato Flyer was offered on behalf of the Matamata farm by Glenn Lee Thoroughbreds at last year’s Inglis Classic Yearling Sale where he was knocked down for A$200,000 to Hickman, who shares in the ownership group.

He is the second winner for the O’Reilly mare Kansas, a daughter of the G3 Francis Tressady Stakes winner Breezy who is a half-sister to the South African Group 2 winner Dahlia’s Legacy and a three-quarter-sister to the dam of the G2 Cal Isuzu Stakes winner Sports Illustrated.

It is most notably the family of the Australasian and European Group 1 winner Starcraft, also a Waikato Stud graduate.

Kansas foaled a sister to Waikato Flyer last season before she paid a return visit to Savabeel.