Husband and wife harness racing team Ian and Tania Ward took a big chance by sending a horse to have surgery – but they are now reaping the rewards.
"We did to-and-fro for about three weeks tossing up whether we'd stick our necks out. It was a very hard decision as there are no guarantees with that sort of thing," Ian said.
Now the couple, based at Invergordon, about 25 minutes from Shepparton, are thoroughly comfortable with their decision with brown gelding Passion Play (Shadow Play-Seymour Lady (Peace Of Art) sweeping all before him.
The pacer is in line for a hat-trick of wins following recent impressive victories at Shepparton and Echuca.
"As a young horse Passion Play showed enough just through raw ability, that he certainly had a future," Ian said.
"He wasn't far off the mark at his first three runs and then come out and won at Cobram in two minutes, with a last half of a tick over 57 seconds. Tania drove him that day and he led all the way.
"At his next couple he was right on the hooves of the place-getters."
Ian said the horse seemed to be tender now and again up the front and it had been in the back of his mind to take him to a veterinary surgeon to get it checked out.
"I thought it could have been a joint problem in one front fetlock that was causing some concern. Anyway, the owner, who lived in Queensland, wasn't all that interested in paying for exploratory surgery and whatever that could lead to," he said.
"So he told us that if we were prepared to put up the money he'd sign the horse over to us. And he did that without any fuss."
Ian said well-known district vet Dr Jim Vasey performed the surgery, which involved scraping some bone and cleaning up a few bits around the cartilage.
"Jim suggested a six-month spell, which turned into more like 12 to 16 months. We took our time with Passion Play and all the credit goes to Tania because she does all the work – he's her pride and joy," Ian said.
"Hopefully he can win a few more because he's a nice horse. I like that he is so versatile and has a good turn of speed."
The Wards were full of praise for up-and-coming junior driver Brad Chisholm who hasn't put a foot wrong at his only two drives on the horse, for a perfect result of two wins!
"I don't give Brad a lot of instructions. Although last time at Echuca I did suggest that he try and stay out of trouble from the number 11 alley. And there was some early interference, but he drove a treat," Ian said.
The Ward family is well known in the Goulburn Valley district with Ian's parents Graham and Lyn conducting Lynrose Stud at Katunga for more than 30 years. The couple now live in retirement at Numurkah.
"I've been with horses for as long as I can remember. Dad did a lot of breaking-in and I took that on when I was just 12 years old," Ian said.
"Later I went and got some great experience working for some highly-regarded people in the industry like John Ryan and his late father Frank, and for Ken Day and Pat Carrafa," he said.
"We have never raced a big team. We prefer to educate the 'babies' and we're lucky to work for some of Victoria's leading stables.
"We take the young ones to whatever stage the owners request. That can be just breaking them in or giving them two or three preparations as a yearling, or getting them ready to trial.
"It's nearly impossible to race a big team and to be involved with a heap of youngsters, it just doesn't work."
While Ian and Tania have a careful training regime for Passion Play, there only other racehorse is another needing special care in Sharkport.
"He won a couple as a 2yo and promised to be anything," Ian said.
"He tore a tendon in two in a front leg, in a race incident that wasn't his fault, and he is really a long chance.
"I think he might be a 7yo now, but we'll keep going along with the swimming and slow work and the patience. You just never know."
Terry Gange
NewsAlert PR Mildura