Dravitzki pair to resume at New Plymouth

Tony Dravitzki has been on quite the journey with I’m Bartholomew and he is hoping to continue his unbeaten run with the five-year-old gelding at New Plymouth on Saturday.

“I bought him as a weanling off Gavelhouse and sold him to Australia after he trialled and won,” Dravitzki said. “He didn’t come up in Australia, he had four starts for the Henry Dwyer stable and his best placing was a fourth.

“They decided he wasn’t up to city class in Aussie so they put him up for sale online and I bought him back.”

Dravitzki had been impressed by I’m Bartholomew as a younger horse and didn’t think twice about outlaying A$8,000 for the son of Complacent and bringing him home.

“He showed more than any other horse that I have ever had as a young horse,” he said. “I kept a small share in him so I could keep an eye on him when he was over in Australia.

“I don’t know what happened in Aussie, perhaps he didn’t like the stable environment, I train him out of the paddock at home, and he only goes inside when he goes to the track.”

Dravitzki’s judgement was justified when I’m Bartholomew won his New Zealand debut over 1200m at Hawera at the start of the season, and he quickly doubled his tally when victorious over 990m at New Plymouth a month later, before being sent for a spell.

“He won those two races nicely but then we have had some niggly little issues with him all the way through, that is why he only had the two starts,” Dravitzki said.

The Stratford trainer has been pleased with the way I’m Bartholomew is coming up but said he will benefit from the run in the Brandlab 1200, and he will appreciate the heavier going of winter tracks, with New Plymouth’s track rated a Soft5 on Friday morning.

“He has had a couple of jump outs and a soft trial, he is ready for a fresh-up run but he will take good benefit from it,” Dravitzki said.

“His wins were on Heavy10 tracks, and the track is not going to be a Heavy10 tomorrow, and it is a rating 75, so he is up against some reasonable horses.”

Dravitzki is also looking forward to kicking off Tobias’ winter campaign in the AB Electrical 1400m.

The eight-win gelding pleasantly surprised Dravitzki with his trial win over 1200m at Foxton last week, and he said he is another that will benefit from Saturday’s run and heavier tracks.

“He hasn’t had any jumpouts, he went to the Foxton trials last week and it surprised me a bit with how easily he won that trial,” Dravitzki said.  

“I intended on giving him another trial but seeming as this race was on our backdoor step, I thought I might as go around for money instead of paying to go around at the trials.

“He is going to appreciate a lot wetter track than he is going to strike tomorrow. I have put the four-kilo claimer (Hyeontaek Oh) on so it won’t make it such a hard run on him.”

Dravitzki doesn’t have any set plans for the pair but said he is hoping to have another crack at the Interprovincial (1600m) with Tobias if he performs well over the coming months.

“Ideally if Tobias is going well enough, we may have another crack at the Interprovincial that he won two years ago,” he said.