Patience proves a winning tactic

Patience has been the key for Victorian hobby harness racing trainer Chris Blake, who is enjoying every moment of the career-best form of his mare Tic Tact (A Rocknroll Dance).

Tic Tact notched up a third win from her past five starts for Blake and concession reinsman Ryan Sanderson at Charlton (Nov 14) last week, but the trainer is reluctant to take too much credit.

“I can’t claim anything I don’t think – all of a sudden out of the blue she’s struck form!” Blake laughed

“I’m working her much the same as I have before, I haven’t altered her feeding or anything else too much, she just seems to have matured and I think the maturity side of it has been the biggest factor,” he said.

Blake, who has been training for 30 years, said Tic Tact had done her early racing in Queensland, and was out of the handy race mare Ideal Tact NZ (American Ideal).

“A group of owners, the McLeans and the Bennetts, bought her a couple of years back because of her breeding,” Blake said.

“Neil McLean knew about the family, and they wanted to buy her with the idea of racing her for a bit, then sending her to stud,” he said.

“She’s been a funny horse and it took a fair bit to get her going. She put together three wins in five starts back at the start of last year, but she was pretty inconsistent because she’d win one start and run last the next!

“This time in she is much more consistent, she’s finished growing and she presents as a much more ready racehorse.  Her mother (13 wins) got better as a five and six-year-old as well, so hopefully she is following that pattern.”

Blake has had a long and enjoyable association with the ownership group, racing many horses together over 25 years.

“The best we’ve had was no doubt Uninvited (Megamind), who won 13 races, but there have been quite a few handy ones over the years.  They’re a big group of owners and associated people, but now they’re friends as well.”

Blake, who grew up at Stawell, came into the sport through a childhood friendship with the Delley family, who had horses.

“I always had a love of it from then.  Once I got my career going, got married and we bought a property on the outskirts of Stawell, I thought I wouldn’t mind giving it a go,” he said.

“My daughter Melissa used to give me a hand with trackwork and fastwork. I couldn’t keep her away from them and even now when she gets home, she bolts off and sees the horses first and me second!

“Now I’ve retired from work as an electrician, I always have a few in work. It gives me something to do and keeps me busy. Another trainer Paul Rousch helps me out with fastwork now, when I need it.  All us little blokes help each other.”

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink