LITTLE COLT’S PADDOCK BIRTH SET THE TONE FOR HOBBY BREEDERS’ MAGICAL RIDE

MY WISH WITH HODGE & THE MARSHALLS

HE was born in a paddock at Duckenfield on Newcastle’s outskirts in the wee hours of a Friday morning in early October 2020.

And though of course no one knew it at the time, that foaling of the little colt (later gelded) set the tone for a trio of Newcastle racing aficionados to breed a horse from a “third time lucky” mare who has now become a Hong Kong champion.

Newcastle trainer Steve Hodge and close friends Brad and Fran Marshall are the very proud breeders of My Wish, who last night became a Group 1 winner in the Champions Mile at Sha Tin.

With the backing of an all-Australian connection of trainer Mark Newnham and jockey Hugh Bowman, My Wish thundered home to take his HK earnings already to around a staggering A$8.7 million.

Not had for a horse who is the first foal of his dam, the Reset mare Set The Tone (who won only one race in the country), and trounced five rivals in a 800m barrier for two and three-year-old maiden horses at Newcastle’s Beaumont (inside) track on September 29, 2023 before being sold overseas.

Hodge recalls the Champions Mile champ being born around 2am on Friday, October 2, 2020.

“Josh Langridge, who rides trackwork at Broadmeadow and is a barrier attendant at a number of provincial tracks, foaled the mare down in a paddock at Duckenfield (in the Maitland locality) early that morning,” he said.

“You couldn’t possibly ever think then he would be winning these big races in Hong Kong?”

MY WISH MOMENTS AFTER BIRTH WITH MARE SET THE TONE

Hodge says the offers came thick and fast soon after the Beaumont trial before a deal was struck to sell the then unraced gelding (who was named Lika Ryder after the main character in the kids’ show Paw Patrol) for a nice six-figure sum.

“Digger McLellan rode Lika Ryder in the trial, and said afterwards ‘this horse goes pretty good’.

“I had five or six calls that day from Australian agents acting on behalf of Hong Kong interests to sell Lika Ryder,” Hodge said today.

“We decided to accept the best offer, and once the horse went through a strict veterinary examination process, the sale was finalised.

“In no way do we regret selling him. It was an offer too good to refuse at the time, and it was impossible to predict how good he might be.

“And we’ve still got the mare, who is having more foals.

“Whilst we didn’t know at the time who Lika Ryder (subsequently renamed My Wish after arriving overseas) was going to in Hong Kong, we were very happy to eventually find out that it was Mark (Newnham).

“Mark is such a professional that he has always kept us updated with My Wish’s progress.

“We have developed a terrific association with him. That would probably not have been the case if the horse had gone to another trainer who we didn’t know.

“We sent Mark a message after the race last night and, even though he would have got heaps of congratulatory texts, he still quickly responded.”

Hodge, along with Brad and Fran Marshall and friends Phil and Cathy Sullivan, gathered together last night to watch from afar on television take the Champions Mile in devastating fashion.

“We cheered when he dashed to the front and danced around so excited as if he was still our own horse and had just won the Melbourne Cup.” Hodge said.

“We’re still on cloud 9 today.

MY WISH TAKING OUT LAST NIGHT'S G1 CHAMPION MILE - IMAGE GRANT COURTNEY

“That was a truly international race with horses from Japan and the UK against My Wish. It was such a wonderful thrill.”

The trio of Newcastle hobby breeders bought Set The Tone for $3000 from former Newcastle Jockey Club chief executive Maurice Sinclair, who raced her five times in Victoria for a debut close second in a 1200m Maiden at Kyneton in January 2016.

He had then leased her to the Marshalls’ son Jack (now a RacingNSW steward) and a group of his mates, and Hodge trained her for 21 starts.

Her sole win was in a 2100m Class 1/Maiden Plate at Tuncurry in July 2017, though she was placed on eight occasions.

When Set The Tone’s racing career ended, Sinclair sent her to Newgate Farm in the Hunter Valley to be mated with Eurozone.

He then tried to sell her to Jack Marshall and his mates, but they weren’t interested in the breeding side of the industry and subsequently sold her to Hodge and the Marshalls.

“We thought with a mare already in foal, paying only $3000 was worth a gamble,” Hodge said.

“Unfortunately Set The Tone slipped to Eurozone, and with a live foal guarantee, we went back to Newgate and she was mated with Menari.

“When that didn’t work out either, we still had another chance to go back to the stud, and this time the mare was mated with Flying Artie.

“Thankfully it was third time lucky and Lika Ryder (aka My Wish) was the result.”

HODGE & THE MARSHALLS WITH NEWNHAM & MY WISH AT HIS HONG KONG STABLE IN DECEMBER

Given all the trouble Set The Tone had been through to produce a foal, the hobby breeders didn’t worry about her for another three seasons.

“To be honest we couldn’t afford to go to a good stallion, and it wasn’t until My Wish started to show ability that we started breeding with her again,” Hodge said.

The Newcastle trio has since bred a full brother to My Wish, who fetched $200,000 at the Inglis Classic yearling sale in February.

“My Wish was the smallest horse (he weighs all of 459kg) in the Champions Mile field, and his younger brother is about the same size,” Hodge said.

“That was the reserve price we had set, and he is also expected to race in Hong Kong, but perhaps with another trainer.

“We now have a weanling filly by Hawaii Five Oh (born on October 31 last year), and Set The Tone is in foal to Group 1 winner Artorius (a son of Flying Artie), and is currently being looked after at Lees Racing’s Ellalong Farm in the Hunter Valley.

“Until we know what this latest mating produces, we won’t decide whether or not to sell the filly.

“Irrespective, we’ve already had an unbelievable ride with a mare who cost so little.

“Who could ask for anything more?”

STORY JOHN CURTIS, APRIL 27, 2026 - PICS SUPPLIED