Faith fulfilled for Tardina fledgling

By Peter Wharton

The Captaintreacherous five-year-old Always Have Faith became the latest of the stock bred by the late Dr Tony Parker’s Tardina Stud to clear the $100,000 mark when he overcame a torrid passage to prevail at Albion Park on June 1.

Faine Mende

He joins top horses the calibre of dual NZ Horse of the Year Auckland Reactor, Chase Auckland, Russley Rascal, Hug The Wind, Devil Dodger, The Parade, Sharp And Telford and Miss Whiplash to have been bred and raised at the renowned South Auckland nursery established by Tony and his wife Anne almost 50 years ago.

Always Have Faith wins at Albion Park
(c) Dan Costello

It was the chestnut gelding’s fourth success on Australian soil and his eighth lifetime. He has now earned $103,023.

Purchased for $55,000 at NZ Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale at Karaka in 2020, Always Have Faith began his career as a two-year-old with champion horseman Mark Purdon, winning four of his seven starts at that age.

He was then bought by Brisbane owner Greg Mitchell, a mainstay of the Grant Dixon barn, at the outset of his three-year-old campaign and has worked his way back to a NR64 mark.

Always Have Faith is a third generation member of a line founded by the Tudor Hanover mare Tudoress.

“Tudoress was one of the first standardbreds that dad owned. He bought her as a weanling,” Faine Mende, Tony Parker’s daughter, said.

She won seven races with 11 placings from 42 starts for $18,223 in stakes and was a mare of above average ability.

At the stud, Tudoress, a member of the noted Flora (by Berlin) family, produced six foals for four winners including the exported Gene Tudor (1:57.2), the Harold Park winner Russley Emperor and Russley Bridge (5 wins).

One of Tudoress’s daughters, Atomic Lass (by Soky’s Atom), really established this line to some purpose.

She was the dam of eight individual winners, four of whom took records of better than 2:00 including the six-time Group 1 winner Auckland Reactor 1:52.9 ($1.7million), the prolific Perth winner Taihape Tickler 1:57.1 ($183,919) and Matuka 1:53.2 ($125,603).

Atomic Lass ranked as the grand-dam of the Breeders Crown champion Devil Dodger ($724,666), The Devil’s Own (1:48), the Group 1 WA winner The Parade ($425,999), Hereslookingatyou ($176,748) and the horse-of-the-moment Always Have Faith.

The last named is the last foal out of Twilight Beauty (Badlands Hanover-Atomic Lass), who was also responsible for the exported Hold Thumbs (1:53.6) and the WA provincial winners October Brown (1:56.9), Racketeer Reactor (1:57.2) and Bayardo,

Tardina Stud’s broodmare herd of 25 includes Hearty Lass – a sister to Twilight Beauty – who figures as the dam of The Parade, Cry Havoc 1:55.9 (5 wins to date) and Thumbs Up (1:58.2).

“With Luck, an Art Major daughter of Twilight Beauty, died in a paddock accident last spring but we have a Stay Hungry weanling filly out of her,” Faine said.

She is the last descendant of Tudoress owned by Tardina Stud.

“We sold a filly by Downbytheseaside out of Bishop’s Blessing (Live Or Die-Atomic Lass) at the recent National Weanling Sale at Karaka,” Faine said.

The filly was secured for a modest $9,000 by Greg Mitchell, who races Always Have Faith.

Campbells Comments, catches up with Faine Mende at the NZB Standardbred Sale.