04/01/2025
Nicky Chilcott’s win with Eyes To Heaven at Cambridge provided the ultimate thrill for Ben Grimstone and a bunch of his workmates at the TAB.
And the team are looking forward to even more fun with their $4000 cast-off when they get together closer to home at Otaki or Hawera later in the month.
TAB harness, sports and greyhound traders Ben Grimstone, James Sullivan, Josh Tanner, Matt Oliver, Tom O’Connor, Phil O’Connor, Kelvin Entwisle, Matt Ching and his mum Julie Muller were “over the moon” when their cheapie six-year-old scored at only her third start from White Star Stables on Friday night.
Grimstone, enjoying his first winner in seven years of racing horses, told how the group were talking in the Petone head office one day about racing a horse together.
With the lower class Tuesday meetings underway at Cambridge and “a bit more heat” in the Central Districts circuit, it seemed timely to look for a cheap horse to have some fun with.
Grimstone was hoping he wouldn’t jinx the team - since 2017 he’d had shares in six or seven horses, three of which didn’t even make it to the races.
They figured they could spend up to $15,000 on their first choice, Imperial Command, when he came up for sale on Gavelhouse, but were shot down when the online bidding rocketed up to $21,000.
So they enlisted the help of their TAB colleague Phill Barber to canvas some Canterbury trainers, and were offered the Brent Borcoskie-trained Eyes To Heaven, the winner of just one of her 20 starts.
The Sportswriter - Nga Mihi Nui mare had thin breeding, and had been well tried both pacing and trotting for only one win, but at $4000 the price was right so she was dispatched north to Chilcott.
The trainer’s early reports, however, were far from flattering, the mare’s angry nature painting a picture of a horse with a really bad attitude on life.
“She still bites and kicks, and you almost need a suit of armour to go within 10 feet of her,” Chilcott said. “You can’t put her near other horses but I think she’s had a few little niggles and since I’ve been treating her quite aggressively for ulcers she seems to have changed a little.
“She’s still a bit angry but it’s a different type of angry. Now in a softer moment she actually likes a cuddle and scratch but I think she’s still struggling to get past her persona of ‘l’m an angry bitch, go away’.”
Chilcott detected a few little things during the week, however, that made her think the mare was as good as she’s had her.
“She was up on the bit in training, having a little buck, and that me think that she was well.”
And as soon as Eyes To Heaven accelerated off the gate, Chilcott’s confidence grew.
“She hadn’t gone a bad race since she’s been here but I thought her lack of gate speed would be her hand brake. If you can’t take up a forward spot, you’ll always be running on from the back.
“But on Friday she got off the gate not too bad, not explosive, but good enough. And after she got the trail, I always thought she was going to win.”
Sprinting up the passing lane, Eyes To Heaven quickly gathered in stablemate Messenger Buoy, scoring by one and a quarter lengths in a respectable 2:43.8 for the 2200 metres.
Only Sullivan made it to Cambridge on Thursday night but Grimstone said watching her win on TV was still a great feeling.
“I was in Papamoa and had a few mates around. We yelled so loud the whole of the town would have heard us.”
Grimstone said apart from Chilcott’s great training feat, his group were impressed by her communication.
“A few of the others have dabbled in ownership and can’t believe how well she keeps us informed with regular video (MiStable) reports. With some other trainers your horse could be dead and you wouldn’t know it.”
Grimstone sees racing Eyes To Heaven as a good team bonding exercise.
“Almost all of us will be there if she goes to Otaki or Hawera, plus hangers on.
“Hopefully she can win one or two more pacing then whack into the maiden trots.”
That rare option is one which Chilcott is keen to pursue.
“At some point I want to race her as a trotter. Boy, can she trot. All her work is done trotting, she doesn’t train in hopples at all, and she loves it.
“Apparently she always showed a bit trotting down south but wouldn’t go away. Now she stands up and trots off like a toff.”
Eyes To Heaven’s win on Thursday qualified her for a $35,000 Provincial Series Final at Cambridge on January 24 but Chilcott says the CD option looks more sensible.
The mare’s win was in a rating 35 to 42 heat, Matai Phil took a rating 44 to 54 heat later in the night and two further heats are due to be held on September 17 for up to rating 59 pacers.
“She’s only an okay horse. She should win another race or two, but Otaki and/or Hawera will be a lot easier and give the Wellington boys the chance to see her race.”
Whatever the future holds, Grimstone and his mates are already ahead - Eyes To Heaven has banked $9462 in three starts compared with Imperial Command whose four starts in Australia have seen him score only once, at Geelong on December 20, when he earned $2250 for winning.
And, yes, most of the group did back Eyes To Heaven, her opening price of $6.50 actually blowing out to $9 by start time.
“If you own a horse you can’t set a market for that race and, with 75% of the pricing team in the horse, only one guy could price the race.
“But the race was still a good result for the TAB.”
1. Eyes To Heaven and Nicky Chilcott race past Messenger Buoy for a $57.90 stable quinella. PHOTO: Ange Bridson/Race Images.
