Latest news with #Nikkitysplit
Winnipeg Free Press
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Bloodlines run deep at Downs
Nikkitysplit won the 18th running of the $40,000 Hazel Wright Sire Stakes on Tuesday, and she wasn't the only example — horse or human — that showed what the right genetics, a good upbringing and a loving environment can do at the track this week. The three-year-old filly gave Ziprick Thoroughbreds' sire Speculating his first stakes winner in the Hazel Wright, and also helped them to a clean sweep of the first three spots in the Hazel Wright in the breeding department. Second-place finisher Twoleftoload was also sired by Speculating, and third-place finisher Amplify is by the Ziprick Thoroughbreds stallion Kentucky Bear. Ziprick Thoroughbreds has been the dominant breeder in Manitoba for well over a decade, so the positive environment and good upbringing were a given. From a pedigree perspective, Speculating has all the credentials to be a top sire, being by Medaglia d'Oro, whose 184 stakes winners have earned over $209 million. George Williams / Free Press Groom Kayla Matyas has a special bond with 'princess' Nikkitysplit, winner of Tuesday's Hazel Wright Sire Stakes. Bred by longtime Manitoba owner-breeders Jerry Lambert and Lynn Mathews, Nikkitysplit is out of their mare Spiteofsuccess, which makes her a half-sister to the stakes-placed runner J L Copper, and the stakes winners in the family extend back through three generations. Lambert, who retired from his commercial painting business last year, has been breeding and racing horses for more than 40 years, and he knew he had something special in Nikkitysplit. 'Speculating is a pretty nice, well-bred horse,' he said when asked about the mating decision. 'I knew they'd never beat her.' On the human side, Nikkitysplit is groomed by Kayla Matyas and trained by six-time leading ASD trainer Tom Gardipy, Jr., who is enjoying a more relaxed atmosphere with a smaller stable this year. 'I'm loving it,' said Gardipy. 'You get to spend more time with your horses, and horses like Nikkitysplit make training easy.' Matyas has been working for Gardipy for five years and also has some pedigree, as the granddaughter of former longtime Downs trainer Tom Windross. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and there's a good work ethic across the board here. 'I love learning their personalities and their quirks and making them each happy in their own ways,' said Matyas, when describing what she enjoys most about grooming horses. Her connection with Nikkitysplit runs particularly deep. 'She's very quirky and stubborn,' said Matyas. 'So we do lots of extra work with her to keep her happy, but she's kind of the princess. Anytime she's laying down, we cuddle in her stall. I love the end of mornings when they're all quiet and sleeping and you can go have a little cuddle time. That's when you know they really trust you, when they've let you in.' The same could be said for apprentice jockey Ciera Pruitt, who scored her fifth win Wednesday night aboard Luka Grazie for trainer Jason Homer, and in the process lost her 10-pound apprentice allowance. She'll now only be allowed a five-pound break in the weights, which is still substantial. Pruitt is the daughter of a successful and hard-working trainer in Lise Pruitt, and her father is jockey Jerry Pruitt, one of the fiercest competitors in the saddle we ever saw here during his heyday. For the 22-year-old jockey, losing the bug weight is actually a relief. 'Couldn't be happier. I think it'll make me a better rider,' she said. 'I don't think that it'll make me so tired. I'm 112 naturally, so trying to take off so much weight, my body kind of started to reject me.' Her mother Lise has been instrumental in her development, providing guidance while allowing her daughter to forge her own path. 'I wanted her to be here but also to make her own way, not just as her mother's daughter, and she wants to succeed on her own merits too.' Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Trainer Jason Homer has been particularly supportive, providing Ciera with four of her five winners. 'He's really taking care of me and he's giving me a lot of opportunities,' said Ciera. 'He's really trying to get my name out there.' Ciera will need to ride hundreds of horses to gain the valuable experience she needs, but she's learning and improving faster than average, and she's got the genetics and upbringing to back her up. Perhaps the best indication of how well that upbringing has taken hold came when Lise Pruitt was asked about her daughter's recent success. With a loud, wide smile, she said simply: 'She spun me!' meaning her daughter accepted another mount instead of riding for Mom in the same race. In many barns, getting spun by your rider might cause hard feelings, but when it's your own daughter choosing the mount that gives her the best chance to succeed, it is a moment of pure maternal pride. Like Nikkitysplit, Ciera is proof that when good bloodlines meet proper care and the right environment, success tends to follow. Even if it means occasionally leaving mom at the starting gate.
Winnipeg Free Press
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
The Knights time is the right time
In an era of instant gratification and lightning-fast everything, success at Assiniboia Downs is coming to those who've mastered the art of slowing down. It took leading jockey Rachaad Knights a little time to figure it out when he first arrived at the Downs last year on the recommendation of three-time leading rider Antonio Whitehall, but it's all working at the right speed now. Knights teamed up with six-time leading trainer Tom Gardipy Jr., who has found his own version of deceleration, to win the sixth race on Tuesday evening at the Downs with a horse named the exact opposite of their style: Nikkitysplit. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Rachaad Knights, the leading jockey at Assiniboia Downs, trains J L Copper on a morning run at the track. The talented Manitoba-bred three-year-old filly was heavily favoured and expected to romp, which she did, but not the way everyone thought she would. She broke outwards and was a wide fifth in the six-horse field early, but rather than panic as some do, Knights sat calmly and let his filly do her thing. Nikkitysplit took her cue and relaxed nicely for Knights, gaining with every stride on her rivals. She caught the pacesetter in the late turn, opened up passing the eighth pole, and drew out to win by 3 1/2 lengths. How many times have you seen a hot horse get left in the gate and rushed up into contention by an impatient jockey, only to fade when the running starts? Not this time. The daughter of Speculating-Spiteofsuccess by Midshipman took advantage of her patient ride and called on her pedigree when needed. A half-sister to six winners including Frank Arnason Memorial Sire Stakes winner Private Frank, Nikkitysplit was bred by Jerry Lambert and Lynn Mathews and is owned by the same connections. The win gave Knights five victories on the year, which is one more than last year's champion Prayven Badrie and Sven Balroop. For Gardipy, it was his fourth win of the season, putting him one behind leader Steve Keplin Jr., who won two races on Wednesday. The winning collaboration Tuesday between Knights and Gardipy perfectly captured two similar philosophies. The 27-year-old Knights arrived at the Downs last year after riding a few horses every two weeks in Barbados. The three-day-a-week schedule at the Downs increased the speed of his learning in the saddle significantly while slowing down his mind at the same time. 'Back in Barbados we ride every two weeks,' said Knights. 'Here we ride every week, three times a week or twice a week. So you get a lot of opportunities, and if you mess up on one day you can correct the error the next day.' The accelerated learning curve has taught Knights to slow down mentally even as the physical demands have increased. He's learned to trust his instincts, to let races develop naturally rather than forcing outcomes. 'When you first start in racing everything seems fast,' said Knights. 'But after your first five races, you start to see everything in slow motion. You learn to judge your pace, you know how fast your horse is going, and you know how much horse you have.' Those skills came naturally to Knights, who won 34 races at the Downs last year including the Coral Prospect Overnight Stakes and the Manitoba Matron aboard star mare Burrow Down. For Gardipy, whose patient training methods helped prepare Nikkitysplit for her debut performance, the win represented something deeper than just another victory. At nearly 65, the veteran horseman seems to be in the 'zone' these days. This is a master horseman who's discovered the best results often come when you stop chasing them so desperately. Gardipy's horses consistently show up ready to run because their trainer has learned the difference between preparation and pressure. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. After decades of grinding, of feeling the pressure to perform with every starter, Gardipy has arrived at a place where the joy of training horses matters more than the standings. Both men have discovered what elite athletes and successful people in many fields eventually learn: sometimes the best way to go fast is to slow down first. Knights has geared down his mental processing to see races more clearly; Gardipy has slowed down his emotional investment to train more effectively and gain more enjoyment from what he does. He also has an excellent team at the barn that includes Jim Ross, Alicia Glover, Kayla Matyas and Travis Gardipy. 'I've been getting lucky,' said Gardipy, a humble response from a trainer who has won six titles. When pressed about potentially winning another title with his 25 horses, he said, 'I'm not even thinking about that. I'm just enjoying myself.' Nikkitysplit's name suggests speed and urgency, but Tuesday night's collaboration between Gardipy and Knights proved that patience still remains the greatest virtue in a sport built on speed. When you slow down enough to appreciate what you're doing… You spend more time in the winner's circle.
