Kim Reid has always seen something special in Hi Yo Sass Bomb (NZ) (Complacent), and the mare rewarded her trainer for persistence with an impressive runner-up finish in the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) at Te Rapa last Saturday.
A daughter of Complacent, Hi Yo Sass Bomb showed promise in her opening two starts before breaking her wither, keeping her away from the race track for over 12 months. When she returned in mid-2023, the mare flew through the grades, going from breaking her maiden to finishing second in the Gr.3 Taranaki Cup (1600m) and winning the Gr.3 Cuddle Stakes (1600m), all in one preparation.
A winning fresh-up effort in August gave Reid confidence to push on to the latter Group Ones during the Hawke’s Bay Spring Carnival, the Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) and the Livamol, which were subsequently run at Matamata and Te Rapa respectively.
Hi Yo Sass Bomb finished near the tail in the Arrowfield, placing her at odds of $71 in the middle-distance feature, but a well-executed ride by Courtney Barnes had the mare tracking strongly into the straight, where she powered home to finish 3 – ½ lengths adrift of race winner Snazzytavi.
Now settled back at her base in New Plymouth, Reid couldn’t have been happier with the performance, made even more special with a horse she co-owns alongside her parents, who bred Hi Yo Sass Bomb.
“It was just amazing, she’s a beautiful horse and I have so much respect for her,” she said.
“I’ve always believed that trip would suit her and the Livamol was our goal from a long way out. She had only had one previous run over that distance, so it was great to see her do what I thought she was capable of.
“Courtney gave her a beautiful ride, I was just watching the head-on shots and I thought it was amazing how she was able to get her to shift from where she was on the inside. She ran a similar race to Snazzytavi, but had to get out off the rail, so she did a great job and has always had a really good finish on her.
“She’s back home in the paddock now, she’s pretty tough horse and just takes everything in her stride. She’s got a great attitude and has really come into herself, she’ll go into race-days as a relaxed horse, then comes home and eats up.
“I ride her every day and she can be sassy in her trackwork, but once she’s at the races, she’s the complete professional and nothing really seems to faze her.”
Reflecting on the rollercoaster career of Hi Yo Sass Bomb to date, where she has exceeded $300,000 in stakes earnings from 19 starts, Reid admitted the injury had been a tough blow for such a promising horse.
“She’s always been sassy, but she’s been a standout since the day she was born. She was full of beans and had a real spark about her,” she said.
“As a youngster, she showed plenty of ability, but when she broke her wither, I did wonder if I could do this anymore, because I’d had such a high opinion of her and I was pretty upset and gutted about the whole thing.
“Now looking back, I think it was probably the making of her, because we can have a tendency to rush these horses and I think the time has worked in her favour.
“I really thought she was something special so I didn’t want to give up on her, and once she came back, I did everything I could to do the best by her and see it through.
“She’s grown into a lovely horse, so I just try to do everything I can to keep her happy.”
Despite such a powerful display over the Livamol distance, Reid is considering options back in trip, with the Gr.2 Dunstan Horsefeeds Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) and the Gr.3 Cal Izuzu Stakes (1600m) on her radar over the coming months.
“It’s a bit tricky, we’ll possibly head to the Breeders’ at Pukekohe then on to the Cal Izuzu Stakes back at Te Rapa,” she said.
“In terms of getting back over 2000m, I think we’ll avoid Ellerslie in general as I don’t think that track will suit her, because she likes to sit back a bit more in her races.
“We may look at other options further down the track at that range.”
In the meantime, Reid hopes to have another home-bred star in the making in her care, with the mare’s full-brother, out of Hi Yo Soo (NZ) (Complacent), taking the next step towards a future racing career.
“Her full-brother is just coming back into work now, he’s a three-year-old,” she said.
“I haven’t been in any rush with him as I think time will be good for him as well.
“I had Holly Dravitzki break him in and she did a beautiful job, so he’s just starting to do some water work, then will do some hill work before coming into the track. He’s quite a spunky little fella as well, he seems to have a great attitude so I’ll just try to keep him happy and mentally engaged.”