By Duane Ranger
Ivan and Don Bublitz have waited several decades for a nice pacer and now that the Hawera father-son combo have got one they have decided that the 6-year-old’s breeding career far outweighs another season of racing.
Ideal Flybye is currently in the process of being served by Art Major.
However that didn’t stop her from winning yesterday’s (Sunday) feature pace at Cambridge Raceway.
The daughter of American Ideal easily nailed the $8,600 Changeover At Nevele R Stud pace from 30 metres behind. She was the second favourite of seven and paid $3.10 to win.
Bublitz junior (Don) said Ideal Flybye will race in all the big mares’ races, including the Group One Rosslands $100,000 Queen of Hearts Pace at Alexandra Park on December 18, before being retired in February.
“Dad is 84 now and has waited since the 1980s to get a good horse. This mare is easily the best we have had. I bred her out of the Caprock mare Cathy’s Flybye. I trained her for half of her career and she won a race for me, and two all up.
“Ideal Flybye was her second foal. Her younger 3-year-old half-sister – American Flybye (by Tintin In America) has so far won three of her four starts for Steve Telfer and Chris Garlick,” Bublitz, a Taranaki dairy farmer, said.
Telfer and Garlick won their fourth race in eight starts with the mare since taking over the training duties from Amanda Kiddie in June. She has now won 10 of her 30 starts, placed on four occasions and banked $62,318 in stakes.
“Sunday’s win was the first time I’ve actually seen her race. I drove to Cambridge from Hawera especially and she didn’t let me down.
“It’s a shame that she won’t be racing next year but it’s just too tough for her. She will be up against the top pacers like The Orange Agent etcetera, and to be fair we think we will get more mileage out of her in the breeding paddock.
“Dad does want to give her one last campaign against the best mares though. He’s really enjoying his racing now. We would love to win or even place in a Group race before she bows out,” 55-year-old Bublitz said.
Ideal Flybye and Scott Phelan flew from their back-mark and were in front at the winning post the first time. Phelan then controlled the race for the final two laps before easing her out to win by 2-1/4 lengths and a head. She won untouched.
Cullies Delight (Todd Mitchell) and Hudy Haxwell (Arna Donnelly) filled the minors. Ideal Flybye paced the 2700m stand in 3:29.1 (mile rate 2:04.6) with final 800m and 400m sprints of 58 even and 27.4.
Phelan also displayed his class in the sulky when he got stablemate Better B Amazed home in the third event.
The 4-year-old Bettor’s Delight mare not only justified her $1.80 favouritism but she also recorded the fastest winning mile rate of the day – a slashing 1:57.4.
No other horse at the meeting went under two minutes.
Better B Amazed is owned and was bred by Stonewall Stud. Stablemate Ideal Flybye is owned and was bred by Ivan Bublitz and his wife Joyce and son and daughter-in-law Don and Anne.
Another little highlight of the meeting was the Phelan brothers Frank and Eddie quinellaing the amateur event (race one) with Speak Up (Sheryl Wigg) and Kashin (Logan Hollis).
Both brothers originally hail from Wellington. Frank, of course is the starter at Alexandra Park.
For the record the quinella paid $98.10.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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