If there is one thing owners and trainers need it is patience and a good dose of persistence to go with it.
Astute Berkshire Park trainer Brian Portelli paid $48,000 when he purchased a colt by Bettors Delight from the imported Artsplace mare Gentle Audrey as a yearling in 2019.
The colt was named Tasty Delight and he has given Portelli and owner Charlie Cordina one hell of a ride since making his racetrack debut in February 2020.
The standout 2yo of his year in New South Wales, Tasty Delight won five times that season including a heat and the final of the Bathurst Gold Crown and the NSW Sapling Stakes and being named NSW 2yo Pacer of the Year.
He added a further seven wins including the Australian Pacing Gold final as a 3yo in 2021 before a bone bruise forced Portelli to give his charge an extended 15 month break from the race-track.
Tasty Delight resumed on January 7th in a heat of the NSW New Years Gift and although he was first past the post Tasty Delight was relegated to second after a protest.
Revenge was sweet for Portelli at Menangle last Saturday night when Tasty Delight was a convincing winner of the $30,600 New Years Gift final.
It gives Tasty Delight the impressive record of 13 wins and eight minor placings from 23 career starts for stakes of $356,620.
Tasty Delight was bred by Tracy Lamb and Tracy was equally excited by the win as she will offer a half-brother to Tasty Delight as lot 62 in the Nutrien Sydney yearling sale.
Lot 62 is by the first season sire Captain Crunch p,3,1:47.4 $1,561,940 from the 2yo winner Gentle Audrey.
Captain Crunch was voted USTA 2yo Colt and Gelding Pacer of the Year in 2018 and the son of Captaintreacherous has proved popular with Australasian breeders with 97 Australian Yearlings and 131 yearlings in New Zealand set to hit the race-tracks in 2024.
A total of 44 of those yearlings are entered for the Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane Nutrien Yearling Sales.
Gentle Audrey has produced 11 winners including Jeremys Successor p,1:48.6 $889,435 and Mild Mannered p,1:53.6 $150,883 in the USA before her importation to New Zealand in 2008.
She also produced Alice Emily p,3,1:52.6 in North America and Alice Emily is the dam of Canadian 2yo Filly Pacer of the Year Shower Play p,3,1:50.4 $438,435.
Her Southern Hemisphere winners include the filly Bettor Love Me p,1:57.4 $42,267 which was placed in the Group One Caduceus Club Classic at Auckland as a 2yo.
Another daughter is the unraced Christian Cullen mare Gentle Anvil which is the dam of Gentle Giant p,1:54.6 $116,656.
Gentle Anvil happens to be the dam of Lot 61 in Sydney – a filly by Captaintreacherous.
To arrange inspection of Lot 62 give Tracy Lamb a call on 0408 443 267.
To inspect Lot 61 call Dr Kath McIntosh of Llowalong Farms on 0427 497 429.
Thank you to Alan Parker for this weeks updated pedgirees and stories.
Footage courtesy of HRA and Albion Park Harness Racing Club.
Our team is always ready to help with more information please contact
Gemma Smallmon 0447356549
Mark Barton 0419 488 256
Nutrien Equine Standardbred
*Image Courtesy of Club Menangle.