Hello World! Maximum Joy with her Shadow Play colt.
A night with his teeth chattering as he endured the return to a wintry climate was worth the inconvenience, according to popular harness racing trainer Steve Cleave.
With the highly anticipated arrival of stable favourite Maximum Joy’s foal taking place just after 2am, Cleave spent the remainder of the morning watching over “mum and bubs”.
Named after Cleave’s late parents, ‘Max’imum ‘Joy’, delivered a colt by prominent sire Shadow Play.
“It was absolutely freezing, but I was staying out there to make sure all was well no matter what the weather threw at me,” Cleave said.
“Thankfully mum and bubs are both in top order.”
Admitting the cold and lack of sleep were getting to him, Cleave jokingly suggested he saw ‘Wally’ make an appearance in the paddock.
“I have to say, it may have been the cold messing with my mind, but I even think Wally turned up,”
Cleave joked. “It’s funny how your mind wonders when you’re just sitting there, but I was certainly keeping an eye for him!”
Given the stable name Max, the youngster has a yearling half-brother by Village Jasper, which is about to begin his education.
“He is a sporty looking colt, with his shape giving you the impression he will hit the ground running,”
Cleave declared. “I reckon he will make an early two-year-old.
“He’s due to be broken in next month, which I’m looking forward to.”
Working a team of seven, consisting mainly of two-year-olds, Cleave is ready to expand his operation following the construction of several yards.
As such, Cleave is looking to attract horse to be pre-trained.
“I recently built new yards to allow more room to increase the numbers in pre-training,” Cleave said.
“I’ve got seven in work, five of them are two-year-olds, but I’ve got room to pre-train a few more now.”
- Story originally published on harnesslink.com
- Visit Cleave Racing Online