Paul Vettise, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk 1 August 2025
Young speed merchant Love The Sort will be on trial on Saturday for a return visit to Ruakaka for an early black-type opportunity.
She will make her three-year-old debut in the Ben & Nola Wortelboer Memorial (1100m) for trainers Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray, with an eye on a sterner challenge.
โI donโt think sheโll stay, I think sheโs too fast and that being the case another race that looks on the agenda, providing she performs well, is the Northland Breedersโ Stakes (Gr.3, 1200m) in two weeks,โ Ritchie said.
โSheโll go back up for that if she proves sheโs worthy of a spot by either winning on Saturday or going very, very close.โ
Love The Sort made the perfect start to her career on her home all-weather track in mid-June when she proved too swift over 970m for her older opposition.
โSheโs very, very fast and going into that race on the poly without a trial it was a comfortable place for her to go, but she didnโt jump that quickly,โ Ritchie said.
โShe mustered very well to get over to the fence with a light weight and always had the race under control.โ
While naturally chasing another winning result, Ritchie said it may have to be achieved in a different manner.
โThis will be a different kettle of fish, sheโs drawn six out of seven and I know that doesnโt sound so bad, but thereโs a ton of speed in it so she just might not get her own way.
โIf thatโs the case, it might be an opportunity to educate her, but weโll leave that decision until we see how she jumps.
โIt will be interesting, and the other thing is that she hasnโt been right-handed before.
โWeโve galloped her that way a few times and she needs that experience with a lot of the nicer three-year-old filliesโ races over the short trips coming up are at Ellerslie.โ
Love The Sort is a daughter of Tassort and the Written Tycoon mare Siyaadeh and the speedy family of Gr.1 Galaxy Handicap (1200m) winner Snowland.
She was purchased out of breeder Emirates Parkโs draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale by Ritchie for A$42,500.
โWhen we take our horses to Queensland during the winter we use the Gold Coast Turf Club and youโve basically got to walk past the sale yard from the apartment we stay in to get to the racecourse,โ he said.
โYou see quite a few yearlings coming on and off the floats and walking around, racingโs a social game and the stud boys are there and a few breeders you train for and often a few owners come over as well.
โWe tend to go out and have a bit of lunch with them all at the sale yard, itโs not a normal thing for us to buy off Magic Millions, but I saw this filly and loved her.
โI thought she would bring a fair bit more and was in our bracket. I didnโt go there specifically to buy a horse, having said that, occasionally you see a little gem that you like and she was within range.โ
