Perserverance pays off for Balle and Cotton Socks

Young Cambridge horsewoman Neita Balle is making every post a winner to have a successful harness racing career and after a short time spent on the phone, you realise she is every bit a chip off the old block.

As the daughter of G1-winning driver and trainer, Derek Balle, Neita has the pedigree behind her to go a long way in an industry she is incredibly passionate about.

Tonight, she takes the reigns behind a horse that is dear to her heart in Cotton Socks, with the daughter of A Rocknroll Dance resuming in a fresh state at Cambridge Raceway for the first time in nearly nine months.

The journey back to the races has been a long one after a mystery ailment and countless setbacks had many in the Balle camp pulling their hair out trying to ascertain what could be the problem.

Before we get back to the comeback story, it’s important to followers that we learn why Balle was so eager to persist when many others would have simply called it a day. After all, good things take time, and it will become abundantly clear why this horse means so much to the young driver.

Most people know the perils junior drivers face when it comes to finding race-day drives, and for many, the best way to gain any sort of experience is to purchase a going horse that will allow them the opportunity to learn.

Sensing it was going to be difficult to see out the necessary number of trial drives to make the leap into the junior ranks, Balle started plotting a path that would help speed up the process.

“It was probably about three or four years ago now, and I was just starting to get my trials license. Dad didn’t have anything he could put me behind to get some experience with. He suggested that we have a look down south to see if there was anything available that was a cheapy that I could purchase.

“A few days later, I saw a post from Brad Williamson making this girl available, and I was jumping at Dad to ring him and see if we couldn’t secure her. Brad told us that she would be perfect, and I put the money straight in his account to make sure I didn’t miss out,” she laughed.

Was it love at first sight?

“It actually wasn’t. I was like, what the hell have I bought?!

“The float-up probably didn’t help her, but I remember thinking, what an ugly-looking horse. She also jumped off the float at a million miles an hour and started kicking and bucking, and I was like oh my god!

“I put her in a paddock next door for about a month to try and get some weight on her before starting to jog her up and start doing some pace work with her. Andrew Sharpe actually helped with the first prep and told me she was alright, and it wasn’t really until around 6 months of owning her that I started to form a bit of a bond,” she said.

Cotton Socks arrived in the North Island as the winner of one Forbury Park maiden from her five-start career.

Given she was sold immediately after the win, it was probably felt she had reached her mark and would be little more than the ideal learning companion for the burgeoning driving ambitions of Balle.

After thirteen unplaced starts where she had managed to run a few fourth placings, call it lady luck, maybe even call it a miracle, but those around Neita had a bit of confidence that start fourteen was going to be the one.

“My partner Zev (Meredith) used to work for us and during the week, Dad was telling me he thought I should put him on because we should give him more drives. I had Andre (Poutama) driving her at the time, but he had his own runner in the race, and Dad was adamant that Zev had been out there driving more than he had and was the best option for her that night.

“Zev was saying on the way down she’s a winner, she’s a winner. I told him, who are you kidding, she’s not a winner,” she laughed.

“Dad was telling him to lead off the gate and I was telling him not too because I didn’t think she was ready. When he went out on the track with her, he told me to shut up and let him do his job. Zev stoked himself up and had more confidence than I did!

“I was so happy, I never thought it would come. I bought her as a trials horse and to get a win with her at the races, I just found it hard to believe. She could barely win a trial let alone a race, and she was just going round at the races for some fun so when she won it was a dream come true,” she said.

COTTON SOCKS REPLAY

The jump up in grade was always going to be a good litmus test for the mare, and after a couple of eighth placings, Balle again used her initiative to change things up in the hope of once again seeing her back in the winner’s circle.

“I actually changed her training around and asked Steven Reid and Simon McMullen because she was only battling in her races after she won. I had seen what they were doing on the track at Pukekohe and Dad encouraged me to ask them for some advice.

“I asked Simon if he could write me up a training programme and he was kind enough to do that for me, it was actually really good of him. I followed that for 6-8 weeks and she trialed every week as I had 7 drives left to get my junior license.

“I put her in at the races and told Zev it was his last drive on her and to make it count, and he did. But honestly, it was all credit to Simon, if he didn’t give me that training plan, she wouldn’t be going as well. She had ten starts and ran top five in all of them,” she said.

With the second win in the Balle colours coming on the 29th of December, it was only a little over a week later before Neita was to experience the special occasion of her race drive debut in her family colours behind a horse she had formed a special affinity with.

“It was unbelievable. When I went out on the track, Dad told me to just do what I do and to have my first drive on my own horse it was pretty special. I think she knew it was me behind her as well and I couldn’t describe it to anyone. I wish I could do it again, and even driving her at the trials now, it warms my heart, I love her to bits,” she said.

In seven race day drives behind Cotton Socks, Balle achieved a second placing and three fourth place finishes.

In her final start in March however, Balle knew that something was not quite right with her pride and joy.

“Her last start was in a Junior Drivers race and she didn’t fibrillate but she went absolutely terrible, and I said to Dad we would take a blood, but when we went to do that in the morning, I decided to just tip her out instead as she had been up for a very long time from when I first acquired her without getting a let up.

“I thought we would just give her a freshen up for a month and bought her back in. Two weeks after jogging her up she got a hoof abscess and we sorted that out, but a few weeks later, she had just started cantering when the farrier noticed she had a swollen leg.

“She always had a bit of a bump on her back leg, but when I had a look, it was like a tree trunk, I couldn’t believe it. We got the vets in for an ultrasound, and it showed nothing, she wasn’t sore on it to touch, and she just stood there. We gave her some Bute for a few days and pressed on, but she couldn’t pace. I wondered whether it was her telling me it was her time to retire.

“It was really hard for three months. We had multiple vets in to look at it and they all had no clue what the problem was. She just had this massive lump, and we had no idea where it came from. I ended up taking her down to Cambridge Equine Vets and they gave me a few solutions and told me to press on and if it doesn’t improve then they were at a loss for what it could be as well.

“One of the options worked thankfully, and I can’t thank them enough. It cost me an arm and a leg, probably around $2000 in vet bills and then close to $500 on remedies and extras. Dad thought I was mad but it’s great to have her back,” she said.

The road to redemption has clearly been a long and expensive exercise and you could be forgiven for thinking tonight’s Cambridge resumption would be worthy of victory in itself.

However, after spending so long with the mare and getting to know her many quirks, Balle actually thinks the long-enforced layoff has the now six-year-old as well as she has ever been.

“She is the sort of horse that mucks around in the warmup and just skips and hops around, but when she gets at speed, she is a different horse. The faster they go the better she is and when she gets behind the gate, she is a different horse all together.

“This time in at the trials, she paced smooth in the warmup and is probably back better than what she was.

“At the start of the week I was just so glad to have her back at the races. But I’ve been brushing her in the afternoons and her dapples are coming through and her coat is starting to shine. The way she worked on Tuesday and the way she trialed; I wouldn’t be surprised if she run top three tonight. I just have to put my game into gear and bring my driving hands with me and see if I can steer her a treat. It’s a nice even field but I wouldn’t be surprised if she ran top three,” she said.

While Balle and Cotton Socks have some unfinished business on the track to attend too, given the fact that she is a mare and the bond is incredibly strong, I put the question to Neita whether breeding was a possibility down the line.

“I have already told Dad I want a Bling It On foal so I have already decided I will be breeding from her,” she laughed.

“I think before I breed from her, I will do a couple of shows. I have seen Mum and Dad have some luck with breeding and this will be my first time going down that path.”

Win, lose or draw, Balle and Cotton Socks will have plenty of people cheering them on and we can only cross our fingers and toes that the pair will have a long and successful career ahead.

For complete Cambridge Raceway fields, click here.

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink