There was a time when Darryn Weatherley wondered if Mali Ston (NZ) (El Roca) would ever return to a racecourse, but patience and perseverance paid off when the talented gelding kicked off his season with a powerful second in Saturday’s Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m).
The Group Two-winning son of El Roca was underrated in the sprint contest, jumping a $39 chance with Sacred Satono and Skew Wiff as the favoured horses in a competitive running of the Te Rapa feature.
Settling back near the tail throughout the race, Mali Ston tracked the widest turning for home and stormed past all of his rivals bar the winner, Bonny Lass. The sectionals told the story of his effort, with the fastest closing 800, 600, 400 and 200 metres of the field, including the only sub-37 second last 600 in the Heavy9 conditions.
Weatherley, who prepares Mali Ston in partnership with daughter Briar, was thrilled with the effort.
“His run was huge, we would’ve honestly been pleased if he had run home for fourth or fifth, but to run second was really encouraging going forward,” he said.
“His sectionals were the best of the race, so he’s in the right space.”
Mali Ston was partnered by Weatherley’s son Sam, who has been on board for each of his five successes, including the Gr.2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m) of 2022. That victory was followed by a third in the Gr.1 Thorndon Mile (1600m), but Mali Ston then wasn’t seen on a New Zealand racetrack for over 18 months after sustaining a broken pedal bone.
“He’s always shown us a lot of ability and had 18 months off with an injury, and then last prep he was just starting to come back to his normal self in those last couple of runs and went some good, creditable races,” Weatherley said.
“He ran second in the Japan Trophy at his last start of last prep, then we decided to spell him and obviously fresh-up yesterday he’s run very well.
“He’s looking better now than he ever has, he’s been a slow-maturing horse and we were very lucky to get him back, he was 50/50 as to whether he would survive, let alone get back to the racecourse.
“I had a wee tear in the eye watching him go so well behind a very good mare in Bonny Lass, in what has been a time-honoured race.”
Many of the Foxbridge field are now headed towards the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings in a fortnight, but Weatherley indicated Mali Ston will bypass the opening day of the carnival in favour of the Gr.1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) on September 28.
“We didn’t nominate for the 1400 at Hastings, he doesn’t take a lot of racing so he may have a quiet trial then go down for the mile and hopefully can be competitive in that,” he said.
“We do think he’s a better miler or fast 2000 metre horse, he tends to run better when the race is run strongly and he’s off the bridle and seems to be able to able to come over the top of them.
“He just minds his own business at the back of the field finishing his coffee, then when it’s time to go he can really put in.
“Sam won the Rich Hill Mile on him prior to his injury, so they’ve got a good association and he knows this horse well.
“They just seem to click, Sam leave him alone early and lets him go through his gears. It would be good if we could get a result at Hastings.”
Mali Ston ran in the familiar colours of his breeder-owners Markwood Lodge.
