Winning can sometimes provide a private pleasure to connections that is far more deep seated than any public fanfare can create.
That would have been the case when the David Vandyke trained Orbisyn made it three wins on the trot at Doomben on Saturday … the last two of those wins coming at testing Saturday metropolitan meetings when carrying 59.5kg and 60kg, both over the 1110m trip at Doomben.
The back story of Orbisyn has been well documented.
A boom horse early in his career when he came out and thrashed his opposition in no uncertain terms to remain unbeaten in four starts in his first preparation … the big money offers to purchase that followed … the possible big race targets that came into focus and then blurred … the issues … the setbacks … all translated into a rollercoaster ride for connections to the point where, at one stage, the chances of an ultimate, positive outcome to Orbisyn story had a very big question mark behind it.
But, while Obisyn had a lot to overcome … he had two major factors in his favour … a trainer (David Vandyke) whose sets patience as a high priority and an owner (Jan Mcmillan) with an absolute understanding of the challenge of Orbisyn’s particular situation.
Both have played their part in Orbisyn’s resurgence, and their prime reward is the satisfaction at the results Orbisyn is achieving at this time. Nothing more. Nothing less.
“It is especially rewarding because Jan Mcmillan bred him and it is the only horse she has racing,” said Vandyke. “She is a wonderful woman … nice and patient … and she has had the upmost faith in the horse and myself.
“She had that faith even during that period where I thought, well maybe he has come to the end. Maybe he is not the Orbisyn of old and has had enough.
“To see him come back like this and win three-in-a-row is one of the bigger thrills I have had in racing. We can win a Group race and get excited, but when we see a horse whose talent has been revived, it just gives us so much satisfaction.
“Apart from anything else, I think one of the winning moves we made was we took the blinkers back off him,” continued Vandyke.
“When we put them on, it had him too sharp. Then when we took them back off, he was still racing forward, but now we are getting that furlong or two when he can just come back to the rider.
“That’s enabling him to still use his high cruising speed, but to still, at the same time, have a kick and leave his rivals in his wake … and all the time he has been getting better mentally.
Heavyweight rider Paul Hamblin, who has been in the saddle in Orbisyn’s two Doomben wins, has clearly very quickly built an affinity with the horse.
“Paul is gold,” said Vandyke. “He is a wonderful rider. He does a lot of work behind the scenes for us.
“He rides horses other people won’t ride … and to have him riding this horse … back-to-back metro wins is fabulous.”
*In spite of the issues he has encountered along the way, Orbisyn has a very impressive fifty percent strike-rate (eight wins from sixteen starts) and his latest win took him past the $250 000 mark in prize-money.
