She’s Tough and ready to go

Tough Tilly is ready to rock ‘n’ roll on Friday as the race to Breeders Crown glory kicks off at Bendigo, the first steps on the path to November 20 finals night.

Trainer Emma Stewart today declared the three-year-old was “ready to go”, which would be music to the ears of her breeder and co-owner Craig Judd of Benstud Standardbreds.

Already a winner of $355,433, Tough Tilly suffered her first failure in her Victoria Oaks heat last start when she faded early and finished 10^th, but the filly who famously races to help cure Epidermolysis Bullosa has quickly bounced back.

Judd told RSN 927’s Cracking The Codes that Tough Tilly “pulled up quite distressed, her heart rate was very high” in her heat, with the fall-out not only ending her Oaks campaign but seemingly threatening her Breeders Crown and Vicbred Super Series hopes.

“There were no signs to it prior, but after doing some extensive veterinary research into it they found she had an epicglottic entrapment,” Judd said.

“Basically she had a big abscess in her throat that blocked her airwaves. It’s not something that will show up in training, it’s something that will show up under race conditions or race stress.

“She’s now had surgery, she’s had a couple of weeks off and she’s back in work.”

Tough Tilly has subsequently been entered in Friday’s heats of the Breeders Crown, in which she ran second to Ladies In Red last year, having drawn gate five in the opening heat, where a top eight finish will book a place in the November 13 semi-finals.

A successful campaign would be a great fillip for connections, who include the Cure EB syndicate. They purchased a 25 per cent share at a fundraising auction and have reveled in the filly’s success and the great advocacy it has brought their cause.

Judd touched on that at length in the Crossing The Codes interview, including the vast interest in the horse by the US-based EB Research Partnership, whose founders include Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder and his wife Jill.

“They’re all over it,” he said. “They are following the journey, following the horse. It’s fantastic.

“I believe that even Eddie and the whole EB partnership in America are watching the progress of her racing career.”

The connection was emboldened by Judd naming a promising two-year-old Come Say Hi, a nod to Vedder’s song Say Hi, which is a tribute to six-year-old Eli Meyer who was born with epidermolysis bullosa.

The filly’s a half-sister to Fly Like An Eagle, Mach Doro and Higherthananeagle, and has already won two of her five starts.

“We think she’s got well above average ability,” Judd said. “She might not be as good as Tough Tilly, we’re yet to find that out, but she’s pretty handy. It’s great to get (EB awareness) out there again.

“We’ve sent her down to Clayton (Tonkin) and Emma (Stewart) for the Breeders Crown, and then she’ll go back to Luke (McCarthy) for the New South Wales Oaks.”

Come Say Hi has drawn gate nine for Sunday’s second Ride High Breeders Crown heats for two-year-old fillies, where she’ll start on the back of well-rated stablemate Fiamma.

Click here to view the fields for Bendigo on Friday night.