Ricky Ludwig, a 72-year-old former trainer from Far North Queensland, Australia, is embarking on his first-ever international trip this week. His destination? Hong Kong, where he hopes to witness the continued success of Tomodachi Kokoroe, a horse he once trained. Ludwig has been following Tomodachi Kokoroe’s career from afar, stating, “I watch him on TV when he’s racing. The horse has come a long way.”
Ludwig’s journey mirrors that of Tomodachi Kokoroe, who travelled from the small town of Tolga to Sha Tin racecourse. Under the guidance of trainer David Hayes, the gelding has become one of Hong Kong’s leading sprinters, second only to the formidable Ka Ying Rising.
Ludwig’s career involved scouring online sales for promising horses. He spent decades training near Brisbane before relocating to Tolga. He recalls being drawn to a particular horse during an Inglis Digital sale in early 2022. “I had a couple of Written Tycoons before him and I love them,” Ludwig said, referring to the horse’s sire. He continued, “He was lot one and everyone laughs, but he was born on my birthday – October 5 – so I thought ‘he’ll be a good one, I’ve got to buy him’.”
The horse, initially named Bank Bank Bank, had a brief stint with the late Mike Moroney in Victoria, with one third-place finish in three starts. Ludwig contacted Moroney about the horse. “I rang Mike and he just said ‘I don’t really want to sell him, but the owner told me to put him online because he couldn’t afford it any more’,” Ludwig explained. Despite the uncertainties of buying a second-hand horse, Ludwig saw potential. “You never know when you’re buying second-hand horses, but there was nothing wrong with him. We were only going to go to A$24,000 (HK$123,710) because I’m limited in what I can spend, but I went over that and got him for A$25,000.”
Bank Bank Bank’s journey from Melbourne to Tolga, with a stopover in Caloundra, proved fruitful. Ludwig was impressed by the horse’s physique, describing him as “a big, powerful horse.” However, he didn’t see anything truly special until the horse’s first gallop. “He was a maiden galloping with one that had won three in a row in the bush – no world beater, but he just played with it,” Ludwig recounted.
“Dave Crossland was a top rider up here and rode him. I said ‘can we win a race at Atherton?’ and he said ‘mate, he’ll win wherever you take him. I’m telling you, he’s the best horse I’ve ever ridden’.”
Crossland’s praise was significant. “He rode Tyzone, who won a [Group One] Stradbroke Handicap, and he said ‘this horse is better’. It’s a big statement until they race, but he was right.”
Bank Bank Bank debuted for Ludwig in a 950m maiden race at Cairns in June 2022, winning by a significant margin despite his inexperience. “He shied at the winning post and almost tipped the jockey off because he went that quick,” Ludwig said. The horse continued his winning streak, claiming victory in his next two races. Ludwig then took him to Townsville, where he won a 1,200m race in record time. He followed this with another record-breaking performance over 1,400m, carrying top weight and starting from barrier 13.
These impressive performances caught the attention of David Chester from Magic Millions. Ludwig had been considering selling the horse. “A mate of mine up here had a horse [who Hong Kong owners] had offered money for. He wanted more than what they were offering and I said ‘I’ve got one here that’s as good as that one, I’ll sell him’,” he explained.
However, Bank Bank Bank’s low rating initially prevented him from meeting the requirements for sale to Hong Kong. To address this, Ludwig raced him in Cairns, where he secured two more victories, extending his winning streak to six and boosting his rating.
“At his last start for me I had him in a 950m and bugger me dead, something happened with the track and they dropped it back to 875m,” said Ludwig.
“I thought ‘oh s***, can he win a 875m?’, but he beat them by three or four lengths again. He passed the vet checks and the rest was history.”
Sold to the Tak Sum Syndicate and renamed Tomodachi Kokoroe, the horse found his stride in his second Hong Kong campaign, securing four wins at Happy Valley and sharing the DBS x Manulife Million Challenge title with Copartner Ambition.
However, as his rating climbed into the 90s, he faced stiffer competition and endured a 17-race winless streak.
This season, the seven-year-old has experienced a remarkable resurgence, winning three consecutive races, including the Group Two Premier Bowl (1,200m) in a time of 1:07.39. This is the third-fastest 1,200m time ever recorded at Sha Tin, behind only Ka Ying Rising.
Hayes attributes this improvement to the addition of a one-eyed blinker, while Ludwig believes the horse benefits from being ridden more patiently by Harry Bentley.
This Sunday, Tomodachi Kokoroe will face Ka Ying Rising again in the Group One Hong Kong Sprint (1,200m), marking his Group One debut.
“It’s going to be a hard ask to beat the favourite, he’s a bloody good horse. If we could run second or third, it would be good,” Ludwig acknowledged.
“Everyone says ‘you should have kept him’, but I got my money and I’m happy for those people when he wins.”
Ludwig briefly retired from training last year but was drawn back by the desire to find another horse like Bank Bank Bank. While he doubts he’ll find a similar success story, he remains optimistic. “It was just lucky,” he said. “I’ve got his half-brother who’s a two-year-old now called Bank Interest. I keep looking for another Bank, but I don’t think I’ll find one.”
