3 minute read

If ever there was an ambassador for the benefits of the Bambry family’s water treadmill, then progressive sprinter Deerfield is it.

The five-year-old gelding had failed to make it to the races until last month and has quickly shown his ability with two wins and a runner-up finish in three starts for new trainer Chrissy Bambry.

Deerfield  will be out to add to his impressive formline when he contests Saturday’s LJ Hooker Premier (1400m) at Awapuni.

“I had him probably eight weeks before his first start for us,” Bambry said.

“He had been up at Alex Oliveira’s in Cambridge, his owner lives in Hong Kong and he has had him since he was a yearling. He had a few back issues but they always thought he could gallop.

“He kept going sore on them so Alex actually recommended he come down here because we have the water treadmill.

“He was fit when he came down, we gave him a trial and a jumpout before his race and he won them both and hasn’t really looked back since.”

Bambry said the post-race routine is fairly straight-forward and the son of Falkirk has continued to flourish since his last-start win at Trentham.

“He does the majority of his work on the water treadmill and he has only been ridden twice since his last win,” she said.

“That seems to be working for him and keeping the weight off his back seems to be the key to it.”

Ace rider Johnathan Parkes has elected to stick with the horse after a strong performance at Trentham a fortnight ago.  

“We are rapt that Johnathan is sticking with him,” Bambry said. “He was really pleased with how he won and he said he gave him a good feel and that he would like to stick with him, so we booked him in straight away.”

Bambry elected to keep Deerfield stepping through the grades and opted for the Rating 72 event over a Listed race on the same program, believing the chestnut still has plenty of room for improvement.

“His coat probably isn’t quite there yet and he is still very green and he doesn’t know a lot,” she said.

“He is basically like a three-year-old running in a five-year-old body. There is plenty of room for improvement in him and I think he will probably get up to a mile.

“We will just take each race as it comes and hopefully he can get through the grades.

“He is a great advertisement for the water treadmill. We pre-train a few and do a lot of rehab work but it shows that once they are fit it can really keep them at that peak fitness level.”

Bambry will also have an eye on the fortunes of a recent water treadmill beneficiary, Platinum Invador, who contests the Gr.2 Tulloch Stakes (2000m) in Sydney on Saturday.

“We have some really good clients that continue to use it,” Bambry said.

“Lisa Latta, Lincoln Farm and Neville McAllister are good supporters and it is great that Lisa entrusted us with the likes of Platinum Invador and Sentimental Miss, who just went back to the stable this morning.

“It is great for keeping them fit but also for recovery. It keeps them working so they aren’t just standing in the paddock and it is great for their limbs and muscles.

“Platinum Invador was zooming around the paddock and I think he will be hard to beat if things finally go his way in Sydney. He just adapts to everything, he came here and didn’t bat an eyelid. He worked on the treadmill like a professional, ate everything and it was like he had been here all his life.

“The feedback we are getting on the water treadmill is great. Kamada Park and their new manager Anna Swainson are another that really appreciate the benefits of using it and they are keen to use it as part of their system.”