Tony Dravitzki has only one nagging worry with Tobias ahead of Saturday’s feature contest at New Plymouth.
The Stratford trainer has his son of Complacent in prime order for the ITM New Plymouth Interprovincial (1600m), in which he will chase his fourth consecutive victory.
“He’s in really good form and ready to go again, the only concern I have is that even with the four-kilo claim, he is still going to have to carry 57kg,” Dravitzki said.
Tobias will be ridden by Elle Sole who partnered the gelding to a last-start victory at Hastings and three runs back over Saturday’s course and distance.
Fellow apprentice Ciel Butler successfully guided Tobias in between times, also over 1600m at New Plymouth.
“The weight is fair enough, he has earned it but it is still going to make it hard, that’s for real,” Dravitzki said.
“We’ve had this race in mind for him for a while and he had two weeks off after his last win and it’s going to be 49 days since he last raced.
“That’s not a concern though, he goes well when he’s kept on the fresh side.”
Tobias is relatively lightly raced for a seven-year-old as the winner of six of his 24 career appearances.
“One year, he was only two races into a campaign when he had a truck accident which put him out for eight or nine months,” Dravitzki said.
“That was more the trainer’s fault than the horse, he got cast in my truck after the races at Waverley one day.
“He got his front legs and belly over the partition and we had to sedate him to roll him off the truck, it was the only way we could get him off.
“He is a very tough horse though and always has been.”
With recent racing, Tobias has become easier to work with and evidenced by his golden run of form this preparation.
“He can be quite excitable until he’s out on the track. He has settled down quite a bit lately, but he was hard work until this campaign,” he said.
“I’m hopeful rather than confident and only because of the weight issue.
“He has been racing out of his class and getting in on the minimum and I’ve been claiming on him, but we haven’t had any hiccups since he last raced.”
Dravitzki co-bred the gelding with his brother John and brother-in-law Ian McCaul and they race the gelding with friend Noel George.
The family has been involved in the industry around the Taranaki region for many years.
“We’re related to Sandy and Brendon Dravitzki and Dennis Dravitzki, Claire’s another trainer who has a few in Stratford,” he said.
“We’ve all got the racing blood in us and Sandy’s daughter Miranda was a jockey and rode a winner for me very early on in my training career.”
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