Nigel Tiley hasn’t been given the warmest of welcomes back to New Zealand, with temperatures still winter-like, but that isn’t all bad for the South Auckland horseman.
Tiley has spent the winter in Queensland with his wife Lee and returned last week to oversee Demonetization’s first-up run in the Group 2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa.
The Group Two winner put in a bold performance to run third behind Imperatriz and Butler, pleasing his trainer.
“I thought his run was huge. He exceeded my expectations,” Tiley said.
“If he finished in the first half of the field I would have been happy, given the fact that it was 1200m and he drew wide.
“The fact that he hit the line as good as he did, poked his head out for third, I thought it was a pretty courageous run.”
While in Australia, Demonetization was in the care of Derek Nolen and Sophia Orting.
“Derek and Sophia have been pre-training him. They both know him because they worked for Lee and I for some considerable time,” Tiley said.
“They know the horse inside and out, so he was in very good hands.”
Demonetization will now head to Hastings on Saturday to contest the Group 1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) and Tiley is hoping the wet weather continues in the lead-up to the weekend.
“I am very happy with the way he has come through his race. I would like to see the rain keep falling,” he said.
“He is a little bit better than a lot of them on a wet track.
“At his age, he needs all the favours he can get.”
The son of All Too Hard is nominated for all three days of the Hawke’s Bay Spring Carnival and Tiley said they will be the eight-year-old’s main aim this preparation.
“With his rating, he is in a place in the handicaps now where he is realistically weighted out of the handicaps,” Tiley said.
“We will have to concentrate on weight-for-age races with him this prep.”
Demonetization is rated a +2000 chance with online bookmakers fixed odds to win the Tarzino Trophy.