When Lady Extreme first arrived at Blake Ryan’s Hawkesbury stable, she was only supposed to be there temporarily. The mare was earmarked for the broodmare barn, and Ryan was simply doing a favour for her owner-breeder Luke Wilkinson by stabling her for a few nights until she could be transported to a Victorian stud.
However, just hours before she was due to leave, Ryan received an unexpected phone call from Wilkinson. “He was going to retire her and breed from her unraced,” Ryan recalled. “She got to mine on the Friday morning and was booked to go to Melbourne on the Monday night. Luke rang me at ten o’clock on Monday morning and said, ‘Do you want to have a crack with that mare? No expectations.’”
That decision proved a masterstroke. Since joining Ryan’s care, Lady Extreme has raced 12 times for five wins and over $270,000 in prizemoney, significantly enhancing the value of her dam, Wanted Lady, whom Wilkinson also owns. She will have another chance to add to her record in Saturday’s Congratulations James McDonald Handicap at Rosehill.
Lady Extreme returns from a sixth-place finish in the Ramornie Handicap (1200m) at Grafton earlier this month. Ryan admits there are some challenges with her upcoming assignment, as she will carry topweight of 60.5kg, step up to 1400m for the first time, and likely face a heavy track.
“It all depends on how the race is run, but one thing about her is she always gives 110 per cent,” Ryan said. “I think she’ll run out the trip, and we know she handles wet tracks, but the combination of a big weight and her first time over 1400m on a heavy surface is the unknown.”
Regardless of the outcome, Ryan is proud of what Lady Extreme has achieved and how important she has been to his stable. “She’s had a great preparation, so we’ll see what happens Saturday and then decide whether to give her a break or press on,” he said.
Ryan has 35 boxes at Hawkesbury, with Lady Extreme one of his standout gallopers. “In Sydney racing, having a good Saturday horse is so important,” Ryan said. “If you get a double on a Thursday, you might get half a dozen messages, but you get one winner on a Saturday and you’ll get forty.”
With two wins from three starts this campaign, Lady Extreme has already been a great flagbearer for Ryan’s yard. “I’ve got one of her, but it would be nice to find another three or four,” he said. “We’ve got about twelve horses racing or trialling at the moment, and the rest are young ones coming through, so there’s always room for more.”