Modern day prize money has reached undreamed of levels, but you’ve still got to have a horse good enough to win it. When you see Maher and Eustace sending a horse to Nowra to win a maiden as they did last Sunday, you know the game has changed forever. Owners and trainers of average horses are delighted to win a single race. A second win with the same horse is a bonus, while a third is a rare experience. The owners of Sister Moon were gobsmacked at Rosehill when their lightly raced mare made it four on the trot in the TAB Highway stretching her prize money tally to almost $99,000.
The four year old bay mare wasn’t the best out of the gates, but quickly “possied” up in fifth spot, one horse off the fence. She followed Dollar Magic, Haraishin and Overextend into the straight where Tyler Schiller was able to ease her into the clear. Her technique isn’t flattered by a slightly “choppy” action and low head carriage, and she even put in a noticeable blunder approaching the 200m. There was a slight “brush” with Overextend who was pushed out by another runner, but none of these interruptions fazed the improving mare. She was very strong on the line to beat Dollar Magic by a neck with Accappella Sun in third place after a torrid run. Keith Dryden and a happy group of owners concurred that “four out of four ain’t bad”.
Sister Moon sizzles home to make it 4 straight in the TAB Highway - courtesy Steve Hart Photographics.
Sister Moon’s large group of owners have been fortunate to enjoy the wise counsel of Keith Dryden who has guided the career of the brown mare with his trademark astuteness. The Canberra horseman has won a healthy number of TAB Highways, and knows when the time is right to bring one of his team to town. He says there was a time he thought Sister Moon wouldn’t be winning a race anywhere. “She showed no inclination to race early days,” said Dryden. “She would just go through the motions in track gallops and did absolutely nothing in her first jump-out at Canberra. I decided to press on to a barrier trial, and to my amazement she beat five others in a 900m scamper. She wasn’t spectacular but it was the first time she’d shown a flicker of ability.”
Robyn Freeman rode the mare in her debut appearance in a 1010m maiden on a Heavy 8 track at Moruya on July 1st last year. Sister Moon jumped with her rivals but had little idea what was required of her. She had to be “scrubbed up” to stay in touch and was six lengths from the leaders at the top of the straight. Switched to the middle of the track she started to wind up, but looked no hope of running down the much hyped favourite Atmospheric Rock. Her finishing burst indicated she had a pretty decent “motor” but she was a long way off learning to be a racehorse. Keith Dryden had seen all he needed to see. Sister Moon was in the spelling paddock the following day and wasn’t seen at the races for a full nine months. The trainer’s decision to give her such a long break has been the making of the mare.
Sister Moon was lacking match practice when she resumed in a 1000m Cl 1 on a Soft 5 at the Sapphire Coast on March 31st. After a tardy beginning she was with the tailenders early, but made some ground along the fence turn for home in fourth spot. James Innes Jnr got her into the clear on straightening, but again she looked to be too far off the leaders. As was the case at Moruya Sister Moon dropped into another gear, to collar Battle Abbey in the last few strides. It was another promising win.
Sister Moon (James Innes) gave the leader a tidy start but flew home to win a Cl. 1 at the Sapphire Coast 31/03/2023 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Soft 6 conditions prevailed at Wagga on May 4th when Sister Moon stepped up in class and distance. She began smartly in the 1400m Cl 2 and raced in fourth spot behind a strong pace. It was a carbon copy of her wins at Moruya and the Sapphire Coast. She turned for home some four lengths off Zouatica and looked unlikely to run the leader down. As is her custom she warmed into her work before changing gear 100m out for James Innes. On the line she was forging away from Zouatica who’s subsequently won at Queanbeyan. Keith Dryden had made up his mind to look for a TAB Highway before the mare was back in the enclosure.
Sister Moon was bred by Jamie Middleton at his well known Redbank North operation near Jugiong. Jamie actually raced her dam Pray To God, a daughter of Stravinsky and a six time winner for Canberra trainer Nick Olive. Keith was able to negotiate the private purchase of Sister Moon straight from the paddock. “I was delighted when Jamie Middleton decided to retain a share, and equally delighted when long time client Richard Beswick came on board,” said Keith. “It wasn’t long before another seven new and existing clients joined the syndicate. They’ve had a great ride so far with a mare who should go a fair bit further.”
Her sire Fighting Sun was emerging as a top stallion prospect at Victoria’s Sun Stud when he had to be euthanised after a colic attack in 2020. The son of Northern Meteor had made a big impression as a two year old in 2014 when unbeaten in two runs for Gai Waterhouse. He sustained a career ending leg injury after winning the listed Canonbury Stakes by a widening three lengths. Fighting Sun, who’d sired 65 winners at the time of his death was described by Sun Stud handlers as a horse of tremendous quality and impeccable manners. “Sister Moon has obviously inherited his temperament,” says Keith Dryden. “She’s a lovely kind mare to have around and very professional in her attitude. She does whatever she has to do on the track before going on the walker for the allotted time. After being rugged she saunters back into her box where she has an unusual habit. Most horses go to the actual feed bin before they even think about their hay. Sister Moon always has a nibble on the hay first before putting her head into the grain and chaff. Whatever she’s doing is OK by me.”
Sister Moon's sire Fighting Sun (Tom Berry) wins the 2014 Canonbury Stakes at Rosehill - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
For an old race caller like me there’s a touch of deja vu about the colours Sister Moon has carried on her winning rampage - white, red stripes, pale blue sleeves, white armbands and white cap. “They were originally my grandfather’s racing colours,” said Keith. “Pop passed them on to my dad, and he to me. It’s a special occasion for me whenever one of the team wins a race in those third generation colours.”
The best horse to carry the familiar silks was the brilliant sprinter Into the Night who raced 29 times for nine wins, seven placings and $804,000. Keith has never forgotten the occasion of the horse’s purchase at a Magic Millions night sale. He’d made an arrangement with long time client Louis Mihalyka that he’d bid up to $60,000 and not a dollar more. “When he came into the ring Louis was away looking at another yearling,” said the trainer. “The more I looked at the colt, the more I liked him and suddenly I found myself putting in the successful bid at $80,000. Louie got over the shock pretty quickly and we laugh about it to this day.”
Into the Night was a thoroughly tractable racehorse who absolutely loved a fight. The genuine son of Rhythm won a Gr 2 QTC Cup, a listed Starlight Stakes and two editions of the listed Hilton International at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup carnival. He ran second in another Gr 2 and was twice third at Gr 3 level. His Gr 1 record is more than respectable and probably should have been better. Into the Night ran fourth in a Newmarket Hcp, third in a Stradbroke and second in a Salinger Stakes beaten only half a neck by Ancient Song. Damien Oliver ran into some traffic at a vital stage, and later apologised to connections.
Into The Night after his win in the Gr.2 Hilton International at Flemington 2002 .
Keith Dryden loved horses from an early age, but the necessity of having to establish a livelihood saw him do several other things in his younger days. His working life began in a Dubbo shearing shed, but took a dramatic turn when he decided to move to Canberra in 1962. He raised sufficient funds to buy a ready mix concrete truck which he contracted in the region for eight years. During this period he made the acquaintance of respected trainer Jack Gordon, who invited him to help out around the stables in his spare time. From these humble beginnings Keith has been able to build a career which has taken him to more than 1500 wins and six Canberra training premierships with a seventh looking certain this season. Horses like Tumble On and his full brother Roll On By “blooded” Keith to metropolitan success in Sydney.
The popular horseman achieved a career highlight in 2019 when he won the inaugural Kosciuszko with his grand campaigner Handle The Truth for great supporters Laurel Oak Bloodstock. The son of Star Witness ran fourth in the race the following year to It’s me, and second in the 2021 edition to Art Cadeau. Handle The Truth’s record now stands at 43 starts for nine wins, ten placings and $1.76 million in prize money. Keith says punters shouldn’t place too much emphasis on the seven year old’s unplaced effort in Saturday’s BM88 at Rosehill. “He covered an enormous amount of extra ground through some pretty brutal sectionals, and still finished only 3.9 lengths from Cotehele,” said Keith. “He’s very bright and has absolutely no issues. I wouldn’t be discarding him just yet.”
Handle The Truth gave Keith a magic moment in winning the inaugural Kosciuszko - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
The Dryden stable has been on a roll for most of the current season. The winners have been flowing on a wide range of tracks with one memorable achievement on home turf in October of last year. For the second time in his career Keith landed five winners in a day, thirty years after his first quintet at Bungendore. He’s been in the winner’s circle in recent months with horses like Burgundy Girl, In De Summertime, Poker Dice, Lock Up the Kittens, Diamond Star, Offspring, Forty Four Cubits, Vinolass and Witness To Love. He nominates two of his team as likely TAB Highway prospects in the near future. Both are raced by Laurel Oak Bloodstock syndicates.
Thumbs up from Keith Dryden after the 2019 Kosciuszko - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
One of them is lightly raced four year old mare Diamond Star whose two wins so far have been at Wagga and Canberra. She was unlucky not to win a BM65 at Canberra last time out, and is close to another win. The trainer has a lot of time for five year old gelding Fangela who’s already the winner of six races on outside tracks. “He’s had several little issues throughout a thirteen start career but is currently as good as we’ve had him,” says Keith. “I’m quietly confident both he and Diamond Star will be suited in the right TAB Highway down the track.”
Keith agrees it’s hard to put mares in the paddock when they’re on a winning streak but in Sister Moon’s case, he’s already planning well ahead. He knows she won’t need to improve too much to be another TAB Highway candidate, and I’ll be surprised if he hasn’t already scribbled the Kosciuszko word alongside her name somewhere. If such lofty heights are to be scaled, the astute Dryden knows she’ll need some downtime right now. Whatever Keith Dryden decides will be pretty close to the mark. This man has the score on the board.
(Banner image - They're not an easy ride when they get their head this low. Sister Moon is still learning - courtesy Steve Hart Photographics.)