Written by Paul Vettise
Steve Tregea’s breeding to race operation has served him well under his Windemere Stud banner and stakes winner Niccanova (Nicconi) will be out to add to the record at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
The Toowoomba-based horseman is happy with the 6-year-old’s condition ahead of a return to racing in the G2 TAB Victory S., which could be the springboard to chase higher honours during the Queensland carnival.
Niccanova has won nine of his 24 starts, including success at Listed level in the Brisbane H. and the Bernborough S. before a break after finishing second in the Listed Sunshine Coast Cup in January.
“He’s ready to go and he goes well at Eagle Farm. He doesn’t mind a bit of give in the track, but it’s hard to know how that track will race. It’s been given a break so it should be alright for Saturday at least.
“He had a jump-out last week and beat them easily and he had another gallop on the course proper this week.”
While Niccanova has fashioned a tidy record, Saturday will provide him with the sternest test of his career.
“He’s a terrific horse and a real trier, but he’s not proven at this level yet. He went to another level last prep and seems to be getting better as he gets older,” Tregea said.
“He went to another level last prep and seems to be getting better as he gets older.” - Steve Tregea
“He’s always been a bit fragile and not the biggest, robust horse around. The last prep he really came into his own and ate a lot better and won a couple of Listed races.
“We’re hoping for a really good run going into the G1 Stradbroke H. and there’s any one of eight or so horse could win it on Saturday.”
Tregea is currently working up a dozen horses and all of them are home produced .
Steve Tregea
“Twelve is as many as we want in and it varies. We just turned out five or six 2-year-olds, they all get coughs and colds and things so we’ve got 10 left,” he said.
“We’ve bred them all and we’ve got eight mares in foal this year and it can be anywhere between eight and 15, that’s enough.”
Niccanova is out of the unraced Snippetson mare Dananova, who unfortunately passed away.
Niccanova winning the Magic Millions Bernborough H. | Image by Albert Perez courtesy of AAP Photos
“She went to Nicconi with a foal on her and came back in the middle of the night and it rained and we found her dead. She must have been walking the fence and banged her head, it’s just one of those things but we have got a full-sister to her,” Tregea said.
Dananova’s sister Dane Princess won four races, including one at metropolitan level, and her first foal Angel Dane (Zizou) was also successful on four occasions.
“She was a good mare and we did send her to Nicconi as well, but the foal died when it was 12 months old so we had a rough run, but that’s what you get with breeding,” Tregea said.
