Four years after his last race start – and almost a decade since his trainer used a runner for the last time – Santa Casa Beach (There are some everywhere) Stormed back yesterday in the list of the winner on Horsham (October 6).
Eight -year -old Ruin, trained on Swan Hill by David Wills, was in first place since 2021 and produced a gritty priority performance in the Gold Central Victorian pace, driven to perfection by the young Western District Reinsman Lochie Cooke.
“It was just fantastic – I am just so happy for the horse more than anything. He is great, even better than I thought,” Wills said.
While he made the journey to Horsham, Wills would not have known whether he would feel deliciousness, relief or deep fear that, after a rehabilitation program of more than 12 months, he finally went to the highway to the races with the former performer of the metropolitan class.
In his four-year season in 2021, Santa Casa Beach stuck four Melton victories at the end, good for handy GR 1 artists, including Bulletproof Boy, Always Fast, Shadow Sax, Boncel Benjamin, Rackemup Tigerpie and Majestic Cruiser.
But after that series of career-best form that Santa Casa Beach was missed, it later turned out to suffer from a pedal bone injury.
Bred and owned by the former Swan Hill -Paar Todd and Wendy Rivett, Santa Casa Beach was taken home to their property and retired.
“He could have been treated and perhaps a little longer, but Todd and Wendy are the kind of people who wanted to take care of the horse and did not want him to completely close. So they just turn it off in the paddock,” Wills said.
“One day I was on Todd’s who helped him with a young one, and he told me he had a few horses to watch. I asked him who the big was – it was Santa Casa Beach and he offered him to me if I wanted to go with him.”
David and his wife Sara followed and bought the horse.
“Immediately of the word go I thought” do it right or not at all, “to give him a long rehabilitation and to give him the best chance to be good. It was a long rehabilitation good – more than 12 months!” Said Wills.
“Every morning I would get up at 4 o’clock to work before I went to work. I started to won him hard in heavy sand in my round. He would work both sides and I built that up to 20 minutes, then 30 minutes, then 40 and I did that for seven or eight months.
“I spoke with (leading horse doctor) Jim Vasey, who originally saw the injury of the horse, to get some advice from him. I told him what I was doing, and he asked me if he had ever taken a lame step with me.
Santa Casa Beach progressed jog work in the cart and then went sand to build the kilometers in his legs, before he finally got comfortably Solo Hopple work on the Swan Hill Track.
“And for the past six weeks I have thought that everything looks good – so we will try and see what happens,” Wills said.
The couple won a trial in Echuca in their only official outing for Monday’s race.
“He won the process fairly easily, but it was a bit of the unknown, but to the races. He was pretty fit, but it is as Footy, ‘fit’ is not always the same as ‘match fit’. But I thought if he could find the front at Horsham, that would be his best chance.”
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Wills said that Swan Hill Farrier Steven Jenvey had been a huge help, and Sara and their son Matthew had also supported him on the long journey with the horse.
“I started in the Gallops who wanted to be a jockey and had some good times there – I tied Sobar when he won the Caulfield Cup and I thought it was great. But I became too heavy, so I started driving junior racing, working with Trevor Spelry at Yarra Glen.
“I came to Swan Hill to play Footy for Woorinen, I met Sara and I stayed!”
The former owner of Santa Casa Beach was also appropriate to view the successful comeback of the horse.
“He was just absorbed for the horse and for us. Santa Casa Beach was good for Todd and to see his victory today was pretty special for all of us.”
From Terry Gange for Harnesslink
#comeback #Patience #perseverance