Group One race goal for comeback mare

An emphatic return to winning form understandably has Victorian harness racing trainer Craig Hoban pondering what might be for his eight-year-old pacer Tangoingwithsierra (Sportswriter) – specifically the possibility of a Group One victory to dedicate to his late father Gary.

The gifted mare dug deep in her sixth start back from a stable mishap to post an awesome victory at Saturday night’s (Jan 13) Shepparton Gold Cup meeting in taking out the $10,000 Your Sold Real Estate Pace.

“She’s got the heart of a lion. She’s just a darling of a horse that has had to overcome so many issues over the years,” an elated Hoban said.

“I don’t think I’ll ever have one as good as her again. Perhaps when she goes to the breeding barn, I might get lucky. That would be great.”

Tangoingwithsierra was shuffled back to third-last in the early stages from her trailing draw, but champion reinsman Greg Sugars decided to work closer to the leading brigade with over a lap to go. When the front pair upped the ante, Sugars had no option but to sit three wide and use the mare’s staying power.

See all of the Shepparton Cup meeting results and replays by clicking here.

Hoban, who is based at the Bunbartha stables of Jeremy Quinlan, in the Goulburn Valley, said he didn’t have many concerns because his pacer enjoys a tough battle.

“Greg knows how to handle her and his drive was brilliant. He just held her together to the home corner and then asked her for an effort. She didn’t stop trying and I was absolutely rapt,” he said.

“I’ll probably have a go at the Mercury heats, over 1200 metres, at Melton and then later look at the Ladyship Mile in Sydney. I’d just love to win a Group One with her for dad – we raced and bred a lot of horses together over the years and he loved Tangoingwithsierra.”

Gary Hoban, who was a very successful horseman over a big number of years, lost a short battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in November 2022.

Tangoingwithsierra now has 15 wins and 16 placings to her name from just 42 starts.  She won the 2018 Group 2 Tatlow Stakes for 2yo fillies and finished runner-up in the NSW Oaks the following year. But the fact that she is still racing, is nothing short of unbelievable.

The bonny mare has overcome stress fractures in both back hocks earlier in her career.

The first one was in April 2019, after finishing third in a heat of the Victoria Oaks. With nine months on the sidelines, she returned with three starts for three wins but was then diagnosed with stress fractures in the other hock and another year off.

“When she did it the first time, she was boxed up a lot as part of rehab and she didn’t enjoy that too much. She would see me coming and think I was getting her out, then when she realized I wasn’t, she’d go off!” Hoban said.

“Dr Ian Fulton, who was a vet at the Ballarat Veterinary Clinic, was amazing and he advised us how to look after her. It was tough because to get her back to the races he advised us to give her three months of walking, two months of jogging and then a month of pacework.  And then some time off and do it all again.

“I know I was getting pretty fit myself with all the power walking! But it was worth it in the end. Ian was thrilled that we got her back racing, but he played a big part.”

Hoban said that despite now being an eight-year-old, Tangoingwithsierra had only a little over 40 starts and is racing like a four-year-old.

“She thrives on racing. When she’s not in work, she really gets down on herself,” he said.

“But I won’t be pushing on with her when retirement looms because she doesn’t deserve that.”

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink