After eight frustrating months on the sidelines, regally bred speedster Anita Sonic Love resumed his stop-start career on a winning note at Healesville on Tuesday, much to owner/trainer Andrew Paraskevas’ delight.
With his patience rewarded, Paraskevas now hopes the son of El Grand Senor and 2017 G1 Sapphire Crown heroine Maja Mahi Mahi can make it two wins in less than a week on Sunday afternoon when he returns to Healesville for the Super Sprint Restricted Win (1-4 Wins) final (300m).
Anita Sonic Love, named after a song by US band Colorfinger, will turn three next month but frustratingly for Paraskevas he’s been restricted to only 11 starts, netting five wins and five minor placings.
“He’s just had a heap of injury problems,” explained Paraskevas, who’s based at Pearcedale.
“They’ve been stopper tendon injuries. He’s done it two times on two legs. If you look at his form he’s had three-month gaps all the way through and then he was operated on just after Christmas.
“It’s been a long, drawn out process, so I was rapt just to see him back racing again.”
After winning at Healesville on December 20, Anita Sonic Love was out of action until Tuesday morning, when he started $1.30 favourite and continued his perfect record up the straight, scoring by four lengths in a slick 16.55sec.
It was his fourth straight win in a streak that started way back on October 25, 2020.
“He’s been hard work but hopefully if we manage him right, we’ll be able to get a few starts out of him this time around,” Paraskevas said.
WATCH: Anita Sonic Love (3) makes an impressive return after eight months on the sidelines at Healesville on Tuesday, winning a Super Sprint series heat in a slick 16.55sec.
“He’s a very quick animal but a tick over 400m sees him out.
“Early doors he was at least four lengths quicker than his sister Made Me Blind – and that’s being conservative – but she’s obviously come a long way since then.
“We had three from the litter – we also had Golden Boy – and Anita Sonic Love was easily the quickest but he was the weakest as well. The rest of the litter have been pretty sound as far as I know, it’s just been him with the injury problems.
“I’m sure he’d be able to go around a circle but because we’ve come so far with him I don’t want to put him around the circle again, at least for the next few weeks, until he’s got the miles in his legs.”
Anita Sonic Love has drawn Box 2 for Sunday’s Super Sprint final, Race 9 at 1.49pm, with the other heat winner Dodds Joy (16.41sec), prepared by Des Douch, to exit Box 5.
“I think he’s drawn very, very awkwardly but we’ll see what happens,” Paraskevas cautioned.
In stark contrast to Anita Sonic Love’s injury-plagued career, his in-form litter sister Made Me Blind, trained by Andrew’s father John, has won 19 of her 43 starts and is chasing her fifth straight win at Sandown Park on Saturday night.
Made Me Blind has drawn Box 7 in the Sale to Sandown Series final (515m), Race 9 at 9.20pm.
“She’s going terrific, but I think she’ll need a bit of luck on Saturday night too.”
