Sandhu says young stars will tell you when they're ready to strike

As a lovely horse with an outstanding pedigree, and raced for Paul Lofitis’ Lofty Thoroughbred Group, there is a lot to like about Lofty Strike, said Sandhu.

But, he would not have even been racing for the opportunity to win on debut at Flemington in impressive fashion a month ago if he hadn’t shown the signs Sandhu looks for in a 2-year-old.

“He’s a lovely horse, he has an outstanding pedigree as we know, and having that and for him to develop and mature early enough to be a 2-year-old and get to the races and do a lot of things right to win his debut at Flemington... All of that makes for a lot to like about him,’’ said Sandhu.

“He’s done everything right back home. He’s showed he’s got a lot of ability, which is why I took him to Flemington for his first run,’’ he said.

“I was apprehensive in his first run at Flemington only because of the big wide open spaces of the straight at Flemington. We’ve seen a lot of good horses get beaten up there but he handled that like the consummate professional he is.

“He’s trained on super from then and matured and developed further. He’s a cracking-looking colt. He will definitely catch the eye when he steps in the parade ring on Saturday.

“He’s eating the house down. He’s a lovely, strong, fit horse that is going into the race in great shape.’’

Easing the Lofty expectations

There is a 'but', though, with Sandhu being sure to remind all that Lofty Strike is a 2-year-old at the end of the day, and while he’s ticked all the right boxes so far and he goes to Saturday’s G3 Blue Diamond Prelude with a fair amount of confidence, much can still change.

Sandhu said for any horse, in particular the young ones you may hope to get to the track early, the foundation is quite important. Lofty Strike benefited from having a great foundation, broken in by Matt Vella in NSW.

“He did an extraordinary job with him and he is very settled and very mature for a 2-year-old,’’ said Sandhu. “Those are all of the reasons he’s been able to get to the races as a 2-year-old and win well at his first start. I’m hopeful that he can repeat that on Saturday.’’

Sandhu has trained for the Lofty Thoroughbred Group and for a little over two years, a relationship that began when Lofitis spotted Sandhu talking about the city wins of his first two horses in the same week on television and approached him about training a horse for the group.

Sandhu now trains 13 horses for Lofty Thoroughbreds and said Lofitis went after Lofty Strike at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale last year.

“Mr Paul Lofitis, who is the director of Lofty Thoroughbreds, pays close attention to horses that go to sale and this one went through the Magic Millions Sale last year and for one reason or another was passed in at $280,000,’’ said Sandhu. “That was kind of strange with the pedigree that he had, I would have thought he was probably closer to a half a million-dollar colt.

“But he got passed in and Mr Lofitis decided to make an offer and was able to secure him. Like most of their horses he was sent to me and the rest is history.’’

Lofty Strike has a full brother, Talbraga, who won on debut at Narromine, but two fillies, one a full sister by Snitzel and the other a half-sister being by Zoustar, are with Corumbene Stud, the breeders and owners of Overreach.

Taking time at two

Sandhu has had only three 2-year-old runners and while there’s a number of young ones in his stable and will likely be up to 10 following the sales season, a client buying two Maurice (Jpn) fillies at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale and with Sandhu expecting to make purchases at both Inglis Premier in Melbourne and Inglis Easter in Sydney, he says his 2-year-old runners aren’t a reflection of his numbers.

“I have a few coming through but my numbers are more reflective of where the horses are at at any point in time,’’ he said.

“For a stable with small numbers, and we’re getting bigger, every single horse that we have in the stable is equally important and precious to us,’’ he said. “So unless they give me a very clear indication that they’re going to go to the races and perform, and far more importantly, are going to do well from racing from a physical and mental perspective, I don’t really push them,’’ he added.

Sandhu said a lot is asked of racehorses and while knowing they are bred to race, there were fundamental requirements needed for them to stand up to that and be able to handle it.

"We put a lot of pressure on them so I just try to take them through their paces and give them every opportunity to hold up. If they do and they get to jump-out and they perform well and get through it and they’re still eating and feeling well, we go to the next one and it’s a step-by-step process," he said.

“If they keep putting their hand up to race, we go racing. The moment they go, I’ve had enough.. I give them their time and they go out and then we pick up and go again.’’

Sandhu has a team of around 30 horses in work and he has some weanlings to come into the stables in around a month to start to be prepared for a go. He feels his stable yearlings, including another Snitzel colt He’s A Legend, and a Caravaggio (USA) filly Moya Lass, could make a play at a 2-year-old run but, as is his method, they would have to 'put their hands up' themselves.

“The weanlings have matured and developed well, they’ll probably still be out for another month and a half and by the end of it all I’ll probably end up with about 10 or so yearlings and that’s a nice number,’’ he said.

“I have a small team with around 25 or 30 in work and that gives me enough time to spend individual and quality time with each of them. I do it because I like working with horses, it’s a passion, it's not a business for me.’’