Pier’s latest black type success at Eagle Farm prompted major celebrations, but there was also a bittersweet side for connections of the high-class son of Proisir.
He demolished his rivals in Saturday’s Listed The Wayne Wilson (1600m) to further his record, which already featured three-year-old victories in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) and Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m).
Pier is trained by the father and daughter combination of Darryn and Briar Weatherley with the former sharing in the ownership group with wife Lou, long-time friend Barry Wright and partners.
The Weatherleys and Wright bred the five-year-old and had the misfortune to lose his dam La Vitesse earlier this year.
“Unfortunately, she had bad laminitis and Jamieson Park did a wonderful job looking after her and nursing her, but it would have been too cruel for her to go another winter,” Darryn Weatherley said.
A daughter of Darci Brahma and multiple Group winner Naturo, La Vitesse was an $80,000 Karaka purchase and was initially prepared by John Sargent during his time at Matamata.
“We owned La Vitesse and Sarge won once with her before he went to Australia,” Weatherley said.
“I took out my licence then and trained her. She was my first runner to the races at Taupo and she won with Mickey Coleman in the saddle.
“I used to do the overflows for Sarge, if he had a 40-horse barn and had 50 in work then we’d have 10 at our place.”
La Vitesse’s first foal La Velocitea, by Proisir, was successful on three occasions and then came Maria Farina.
The daughter of Contributer won the Gr.3 King’s Plate (1200m) and the Stewards’ Stakes (1200m) and Lightning Handicap (1200m) at Listed level from the Weatherley stable.
“If she was held up for that last run, she had an enormous sprint and (son) Sam used to ride her really, really well,” he said.
She is now retired and will be mated for the first time this spring to either Paddington or Profondo.
“We’ve got a sister (Rumours) to Maria Farina, who trialled very well when third at Ellerslie and we’ve also got a brother to Pier, who has been broken in and is due to come back shortly,” Weatherley said.
“They are similar types, he’s not very big but I haven’t seen him for a bit, and they tell me he’s grown and when Pier was at the same stage, he was like a little rabbit.
“We had to put a foster mare on the last foal, a colt by Satono Aladdin.”
Meanwhile, Pier has now gone for a month’s spell in the warmer climes of Queensland.
“He’s going up to Beaudesert so we’re doing the right thing by the horse, and I’m down to one for the week with Dark Destroyer to run in the Ipswich Cup (Listed, 2150m) on Saturday,” Weatherley said. – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk.
