All-Star Mile: Alligator Blood taking David Vandyke, Ryan Maloney on ride of a lifetime
David Vandyke and Ryan Maloney both fought mental demons before separately making the move to Queensland to start new lives. Now they are riding high with a freakish racehorse.
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David Vandyke has had enough life experiences to know not to get carried away with the fact he’s training a star racehorse.
Past addictions to hardcore drugs and the dark depths of depression have been well documented. He came to the Sunshine Coast four years ago to begin a new life and despite the unprecedented interest in Alligator Blood, he has vowed not to be defined by the horse, nor let it distract from his own life journey.
“I have to train for my brain, my physical wellbeing,” Vandyke said. “Fitness is a huge thing. I’ve had quite a few injuries and I have to continue to stay at peace and not allow the ride to take me to too many highs or lows.
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“I remember years ago, one of the many counsellors I went to gave me some wise words. He said, ‘I’m not worried about when you fail, because you’re used to failing. I’m worried about when you have success and what you do with that’.
“That’s really sunk into my psyche to understand success isn’t always a good thing. History has shown success can ruin people. I’m trying to just stay even as much as I can through this period.
“I don’t want to attach my identity to Alligator Blood and attach my hopes and dreams to him. I’m embracing the ride, I’m enjoying each day leading into each start.”
Making the move to the Sunshine Coast, away from the mecca of Sydney, Vandyke accepted the likelihood of training a horse of Alligator Blood’s calibre was less likely.
“I’d always felt it would be great to have another Group 1 winner, (but) I knew the chances were less,” he said.
“I feel very blessed, because I do have a belief in a higher power. I feel very blessed that I’m training him, but at the same time, if he couldn’t race again, I would be very grateful for the journey we’ve had to this point.”
Vandyke trains a team of 38 horses on the Sunshine Coast and has a staff of 15, including Emma Lehmann, who has been a key figure in keeping Alligator Blood happy while he’s on the road and interstate.
“Emma’s been a great part of the stable and the horse,” Vandyke said. “She’s been a very important part in keeping this horse up for a long period.”
The other pillar in the Alligator Blood story is jockey Ryan Maloney, who has been aboard in seven of his 10 wins.
Maloney had his first ride for Vandyke at Caloundra in September 2018. The first three horses he rode for the trainer all won.
Two years on, the pair still strike at a win rate of better than 40 per cent when they combine – a phenomenal figure by any measure.
“There’s a great bonding there. We are good friends personally and we work together very well professionally,” Vandyke said.
“I’m so glad to have him on, because he knows whatever happens I’m not going to be bothered. He knows he can go to plan B or C and have no repercussions. He has artistic freedom.”
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When Maloney rode Eptimum to win a feature race for top Gold Coast trainer Toby Edmonds on Cox Plate day 2017, it was the forerunner of what has been a defining career move.
With his wife Shaylee and daughters Stella (eight) and Isla (six), Maloney made the move from Victoria to Queensland after being convinced by Edmonds it would be a good move.
“I didn’t need much convincing,” Maloney said.
“Everything about Queensland – the lifestyle, people, the workload – is nowhere near as hectic as Victoria. It’s a lot more appealing. You enjoy your riding a lot more.”
The irony of leaving the biggest centre of Australian racing and coming to Queensland only to land on the best horse he’s ever ridden is not lost on the 34-year-old.
“It really is a dream come true,” he said. “If I didn’t come up here, it would have never happened.
“It’s amazing ... and the loyalty (Vandyke and the owners) have shown me the whole way through. I know the sharks have certainly been circling and it’s good they stayed loyal.”
Maloney has spoken previously about his battle with mental health and his struggles to deal with it, which led to a stretch on the sidelines for a drug infringement before making the move to Queensland.
He is dealing with it much better now, but the one side effect is the medication he needs to take for the illness makes it difficult to keep his weight in check, which has led to him earning the wrath of stewards and trainers on occasions.
“It is a pain in the arse,” he said. “There’s so many times I’ve tried to get off it, but I’ve just accepted it now, that I do need it. I know how to manage it a lot better now than I used to. I’m on the lowest dose medication wise.”
Maloney concurs with Vandyke that “everything now is a bonus” with Alligator Blood, but that’s not to say the horse won’t continue to blossom in years to come.
“What he’s done and to just kept backing up is incredible,” Maloney said.
“It’s been a great ride. Win, lose or draw (today) he goes to the paddock and hopefully he comes back bigger and better in the spring.”
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