Buddy's Slick Start To Promising Career

DREADFUL weather wasn't enough to wipe the smile off the face of trainer Allen Thomas at Ladbrokes Gardens on Saturday night after the slashing first up performance recorded by his hot prospect Slick Buddy.

Lining up for his debut performance in the first event as a warm odds-on favourite, on the strength of a sizzling 29.43 P/T run a week earlier, the son of Magic Sprite and Slick Exit gave his opposition a galloping lesson, scoring by a widening 12 ½ lengths in a flying best of program 29.51.

"I bought him as a three-month old pup off Robert (McColm) who reared and educated him and he really started showing promise from the first time we put a clock on him," said Thomas earlier this week.

"There are eight or nine in the litter and I picked him out because he was a bit bigger and leggier at that stage – everyone has their own philosophy but that's mine which I've tried to stick with over the time."

Slick Buddy is from a Magic Sprite x Slick Exit repeat mating, the first whelped in March 2014, producing chasers the ilk of record breaker Mr. Shire (19 wins), Mister Cowora (9 wins) and Forced Exit (9 wins). In total the litter won 58 races, more than enough reason for McColm to return to Magic Sprite second time around with his talented brood.

"Like a lot of people did, Robert let her go through two seasons during the (proposed) ban (on the industry)," added Thomas.

"I remember saying to him when he was deciding where to go this time with her – Robert, how much faster do you want them to go?" referencing the successful exploits of the first litter – headed by the hugely talented Mr. Shire who could have been anything if not for an injury riddled career.

"The first litter was all very strong and could get over a distance, this litter is showing more speed but I'd be surprised if my bloke doesn't get 600 later on the way his run home times are improving. And that goes for a few of them it seems.

"The first time I trailed him at The Gardens on a Monday night he went 29.53 over the 515 and not long after that I decided to turn him out for a month and let him grow into himself a bit more. I had to have a pacemaker put in at the same time so it worked in well.

"When I put him back into work I built him back up with some post-to-posts before he went the 29.43 in the performance trial at The Gardens the week before last.

"I've got no doubt he's capable of going faster. He had box seven Saturday night and speared straight for the rail – in all his trials and education he'd always been boxed inside so it was completely new to him being out wide – the experience Saturday will do him the world of good and it was good to see his run home time improve as well."

And whilst Thomas' 20 month old sprinter is on the cusp of a very bright future, he's reluctant to get too far ahead of himself in terms of chasing some of the bigger races just around the corner, including next month's Group 1 National Derby Series at Wentworth Park.

"I'll take things slow – there's a one win race at The Gardens next week so I'll use that and just let him build some confidence, I'll let him tell me where we go but I'd like to give him two or three looks in town before starting him there," added Thomas.

"There are some others in the litter that are very handy as well – Robert has Uncontrolled in the maiden final at Wentworth Park on Wednesday night and he's very smart too. I've known Robert since 1987 when he was living in Balmain so we've been friends for a long time.

"I like swimming them a lot and use Ted Humphries' pool at his practice. Back in the day I used to swim them in Port Botany and run the dogs along the beach with (the late) Mickey Traino and others."