Costa hits reset button
Trainer offloads third of stable for a fresh start
MICHAEL Costa has sold nearly a third of his stable as part of his bold plans to build on his successful maiden season in Queensland.
The Gold Coast trainer let go nearly 10 horses from last season’s stable of 30 runners and bought almost 20 new thoroughbreds.
Costa had a winning strike rate of 22.4 per cent at metropolitan level last season, a feat only David Vandyke (23.3 per cent) could better.
But Costa said there was still a lot of room to improve as he continues to build towards long-term success.
“At the end of last season we went through all the horses and spoke with all the owners,” Costa said. “We gave them a gauge on where we thought they sat in the pecking order and what we could achieve for the next year. Some owners only want city horses and you need city horses if they are going to be viable for paying for themselves and making money.
“We sold a few horses and brought all the babies back in.
“We only had a handful of starters for the beginning of the season but the stable is full now.
“We had nine trial at Doomben recently and a handful at the Gold Coast. It is probably going to heat up for us in the next fortnight to month.
“Even though racing never stops we had a bit of an off-season and regrouped.
“We pulled everything apart and started again.
“For me it’s a marathon. It was only the first full season last year and it’s not like we have a goal to be number one this season or anything.
“The reason we are doing it is because we are doing the best thing by the horses and owners. There is nothing selfish about it. We could have kept those horses in and tried to squeeze a win at the Gold Coast and boost stats. Rather than having 50-60 in work I’d rather have 30 … and keeping the finger on the pulse.”