Hassan Taiba will never get over the loss of his son Stefan to a car accident nearly a decade ago, but admits harness racing’s latest superstar is finally starting to put a smile back on his face.
Taiba owns and races the exciting Captain Ravishing, a horse that has taken Australia by storm with a string of exhilarating performances across the last six months.
He’s smashed records and wowed crowds with his breathtaking speed, leaving one racing journalist to label him the “most exciting equine animal in the country”.
And it’s been just the tonic for the 55-year-old, who has allowed the hysteria and hype around his exciting pacer to help dull the pain of his son’s death.
“It still kills me today,” Taiba says.
“I’ve never recovered and the whole family has never really recovered since then.
“I’ve just been busy doing things and the horses, so it’s been a bit of a grind for us for the last few years.
“This horse is bringing joy and happiness to me and my younger kids, which is very important to me.”
As Captain Ravishing has chalked up the wins – there’s now nine of them from 13 starts – the offers to buy him have come, but Taiba says there’s no imminent plans to end his career and head to stud.
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And that’s good news for us racing fans as we crave the sorts of performances this four-year-old son of Captaintreacherous is delivering on a frequent basis.
“A stud deal came close,” Taiba said.
“My name is down there, but really it’s a family horse so I think it needs to be a fairly generous offer.
“I think everything should be for sale at a price, but it wasn’t quite enough. At this point I’d say he’s not going to be sold yet.”
Taiba had ties to the great Sushi Sushi – a million-dollar earner trained by his brothers Ahmed and Freddy – and it was that horse that gave the family an inkling of what was to come with Captain Ravishing.
“We’re not out here to break track records at home. Sushi, I think for 2400m, the quickest he ever worked was 3:08.0min so we sort of stick to that process,” Ahmed said after Captain Ravishing’s second career win in early 2022.
“This horse has gone 3:06.0min which got us a little bit buzzing, but we’re trying to put the brakes on and we try not to go any quicker than that.”
Ahmed prepared the bay colt for his first five career starts before the decision was made to send the horse to the state’s premier stable of Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin.
And from there he’s flourished. He reeled off a stunning 25.1 final quarter on debut for the new barn at Ballarat in September and has won six of his next seven starts by big margins, including the Group 1 Breeders Crown Series final for three-year-old colts and geldings in track record time at Melton.
Hass has been a trots devotee a long time – breeding and racing many horses over the years – and knows how hard it is to get a good one. So, it’s no surprise Captain Ravishing’s exploits are bringing him great joy – and during a time when he perhaps needs it most.
“The thrill I’m getting through this horse is amazing,” he said.
“I’ve never been happy for such a long time, and what this horse is doing is bringing a smile back to my face. That’s worth more than what the horse is worth or what people are offering at this point.
“I’ve had some nice, generous offers and I respect them and I listen… I’m always prepared to sit down and have a conversation, but it’d have to be fairly solid to twist my arm.”
Following his first-up win in last weekend’s 4YO Bonanza, Captain Ravishing’s next assignment is the Group 1 Chariots of Fire in Sydney on February 18 before a hopeful start in the $1million Miracle Mile two weeks later.
“I got a shiver up my spine when everybody was clapping for him when he was coming down the straight,” Taiba said of the Bonanza win.
“We want to get behind him and want some kind of a cult following. Whether that’s my horse or something else like Catch A Wave, I don’t mind. I think we need these horses to stay around, hang around and do us proud.”
