Under-rated Taranaki mare Hi Yo Sass Bomb took her career to all-new heights last season, and a smart fresh-up performance in Saturday’s Balance Accountants Open (1200m) at Wanganui hinted at more to come in 2024-25.
It was the fourth win from only seven starts in a fresh state for Hi Yo Sass Bomb, who kicked off last season’s campaign with a first-up victory at Hawera before finishing sixth in the Group 3 Thompson Handicap (1600m), fourth in the Group 3 Canterbury Breeders’ Stakes (1400m), fifth in the Group 2 Cal Isuzu Stakes (1600m) and second in the Group 3 Taranaki Cup (1800m).
That career-best preparation culminated in a deserved first black-type victory in the Group 3 Cuddle Stakes (1600m) at Trentham in March.
Despite Hi Yo Sass Bomb’s formidable fresh-up record, her New Plymouth owner-trainer Kim Reid went into Saturday’s resuming run with low expectations.
This was the first 1200m appearance in the six-year-old’s 17-race career, and her talented line-up of opponents included a number of specialist sprinters. But Hi Yo Sass Bomb’s touch of black-type quality shone through.
Rider Joe Doyle settled in second-last before angling Hi Yo Sass Bomb towards better ground out wide around Wanganui’s home turn.
She came second widest of all into the straight and quickened impressively through the Heavy10 ground, surging past Spencer and taking command through the final 100m.
Hi Yo Sass Bomb went on to beat that rival by a length and a quarter, with the resuming Group 1 performer One Bold Cat producing an eye-catching late run into third.
Hi Yo Sass Bomb has now had five wins and four placings from her 17 starts, earning $198,270 for Reid and her parents, Josephine and Graeme.
“We were really only treating this race as a trial, so it was pretty exciting to see her win the way she did,” Reid said.
“I wasn’t expecting that at all.
“It was a bit of an experiment today with blinkers. The last time she raced in blinkers was a maiden, and I took them off because she over-raced. She relaxes a lot better now as an older mare and I wanted to try the blinkers again, and Joe said she did a great job in them today.”
Reid is now looking forward to stepping Hi Yo Sass Bomb back up into stakes company.
The Group 3 Taranaki Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) at Hawera on October 5 is one option, but Reid is open to the possibility of shooting for Group 1 glory at Hastings in the Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) on September 28 and Livamol Classic (2040m) on October 12.
“We’ll run her in a 1400m open handicap at New Plymouth in a couple of weeks, and then we’ll have a few options to choose from after that,” Reid said.
“We could look at the Taranaki Breeders’ Stakes, but we’ve also nominated her for those Group Ones at Hastings. Depending on what the weather does there, I think those distances might suit her better, so it would be pretty tempting to have a go at those races if the tracks are rain-affected.”
Horse racing news
