A group of Make Way’s owners celebrate one of his early wins at Alexandra Park.
Hooray! Tommy’s back and making good progress for new trainers in Victoria
By Barry Lichter • 19 June 2021
It’s been 17 months since Make Way’s enthusiastic New Zealand owners yelled their pride and joy Tommy home a winner.
But after his annus horribilus of 2020 things are finally looking up as the once Mr Consistency of pacing gets through the early work of a fresh preparation.
With former trainers Anthony Butt and Sonya Smith now preparing Emilio Rosati’s team full time, the reins have passed to Butt’s young protege Zac Phillips and his fiancee Tayla Nicholson - and Butt, working from the same property, says they’re doing a great job.
Zac Phillips and his fiancee Tayla Nicholson who are now training Make Way.“He’s been back in work here for six weeks and he’s coming up really well. He’s looking really good and hopefully after a nice break he’s over everything.”
‘Everything’ included a bad foot abscess, an inflamed throat from a virus, an ulcer on his epiglottis and, finally, a fractured sesamoid bone in his hind leg.
Make Way led in his last race at Melton in December, 2020 but as he weakened soon after turning for home he copped interference and hooked wheels with another horse inside him, which knocked him sideways.
He sustained a hairline fracture which, luckily, did not traverse the sesamoid bone and was not displaced.
Vets decided not to operate on the injury and prescribed two months box rest and another two months in the paddock.
“It’s healed really well,” says Butt. “He had a month on the water walker and has been back here for six weeks and has got through a fair bit of hobbled work.”
Two years ago Make Way was campaigning in Queensland where he won the Redcliffe Derby. PHOTO: Michael McInally.Butt is sure Phillips will give Make Way every chance to regain his best form which saw him rack up win after win in New South Wales, pace 1:51.7, and boost his career stats to 14 wins and 14 placings and A$150,000 in stakes.
“Zac worked for us for a while and he’s one of the best up-and-coming drivers around.”
In April, Phillips drove the former Lincoln Farms’ star Perfect Stride to win the Warragul Pacing Cup then run second to Butt on Boots Electric in the South Australian Pacing Cup.
Make Way’s owners, who have enjoyed a sabbatical from paying any fees for the horse since his injury, will welcome his return.
During his golden run of form, he was a regular little EFTPOS card for Amy Myocevich, the Excell Syndicate, Bob Best, Duncan, John and Dave Chisholm, Warwick Orr, John and Lynne Street and Ian Middleton.
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Our runners this week: How our trainers rate them
Ray’s comments
Thursday night at Cambridge
Race 1: Rivergirl Bella
5.44pm
“She did well here last time as she had to do a bit to get to the lead and she dug in and fought on. She’s certainly a chance if she repeats that effort.”
Race 4: Lincoln Linda
7.09pm
“I thought she went super last time after doing a lot of work. She can do that because she has an engine and is tough. She’s a bit one-dimensional - you have to turn her loose early - but from the two draw she should be able to lead and that’s where she does her best work.”
Race 5: Sugar Ray Lincoln
7.34pm
“I think he’s a bit stronger after his spell. It’s not a great field - most will die on that mark - and I don’t see a problem with the standing start as he’s nicely gaited. He could be marginally unfit after three months out but he’s done quite a bit of work and I can see him going a half-decent race.”
Race 6: Lincoln Maree
7.59pm
“She had every chance last time but I can’t see why she won’t go well again. She’s as honest as they come and tries like hell.”
Race 7: The Night Fox
8.29pm
“You’d think he’d lead easily from the inside. He’s had bad draws and still got the money, so I’m sure he’ll go another good race. I’m surprised they sold him so cheaply. He’s better than people think.”
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 1: Lincoln Wave
5.09pm
“With the trip he got in the Harness Million I thought he’d have run on a lot better. But he was still a bit short on fitness and sometimes we can expect too much of these horses, he was racing the best, after all. It’s a big drop in grade here and he’s a pretty fair horse.”
Race 1: Leo Lincoln
5.09pm
“He’s an honest sort who’s in a good space but he won’t get a wonderful trip from the outside of the gate this time so I’m not holding my breath.”
Race 3: Sammy Lincoln
6.04pm
“He’s training down well but you never know what he’s going to do. You think you’ve got him sorted and he does something silly. But we know if the real Sammy turned up, he’d be very hard to beat as he’s got a lot of speed.”
Race 5: Prince Lincoln
7.05pm
“He’s another where you don’t know which one will turn up but we’ve gelded him since his last run, so we’ll see if that helps. He trained well the other day.”
