It was early Jun 2014, the 2nd actually when an unraced, rising 3YO daughter of REDOUTE’S CHOICE wobbled off the float at Rosehill after the long trip from Team Hawkes’ stables in Melbourne.
One glance immediately revealed she was suffering from acute travel sickness, indeed the official veterinary report later stated “she exhibited signs of depression.”
With her life in grave danger, urgent phone calls to prominent breeder/owner Greg Perry ensued and the valuable filly was promptly dispatched to the University of Sydney’s Camden Equine Hospital.
She’d be there for the next 6 months, her weight plunging from 450 to 375kg as Dr Elizabeth Tee threw any number of heavyweight drugs and every trick in her veterinary book, to save an equine life.
“After a few months I had a call from one of Liz’s assistants,’ Greg recalled.
“Liz was away and he basically though politely asked whether I wanted to persist given there’d been minimal improvement and the cost was spiralling. But I really liked the family, she’d shown ability on the track and Liz had earlier remarked on a number of occasions how gutsy the filly was. So we hung in there.”
A couple of setbacks and a relentless meter later, the filly who’d be later named MISS TENACIOUS gradually emerged from the shadows of death. Her weight eventually climbed to 490kg by departure at the end of November and whilst racing was off the menu, breeding (Greg’s passion) was deemed suitable.
An early mating with first season sire DISSIDENT followed 9 months later and on the night of August 20th 2016, the remarkable Lazarus like comeback of MISS TENACIOUS was completed when she gave birth to an average sized, healthy colt. Snapped up by Proven Thoroughbreds for $110k from the draft of Vinery Stud (of which Greg is a partner) at the 2018 Magic Millions Yearling Sale, that young male since gelded, now races appropriately, as DON’T DESPAIR!
Friday night at the Sunshine Coast, DON’T DESPAIR fought on bravely to wash the joys of victory over his large ownership group including Greg Perry’s Greenwich Stud for the 5th time in 19 outings. Immaturity, injuries and erratic form have gradually made way for a committed, dare we say tenacious, competitor. His Mum would be so proud.
Then at Doomben on Saturday, the Proven and O’Dea/Hoysted partnership struck again with the ultra consistent CONTEMPTUOUS. The lightly-race 5YO entire bagged his sixth win at start number 11 when prevailing in the 1200m Class 6 Handicap under the urgings of gun apprentice Jaden Lloyd.
The weekend double act saw Proven’s seasonal tally of winners climb to 20, striking at 1.66 winners per week! No doubt that strike rate has been aided by the irresistible form of the O’Dea and Hoysted partnership which is currently second on the Brisbane trainer’s premiership with 19 winners.
