TRAINER ON TARGET
O’Brien masses stable forces for Flemington onslaught
IN one version of racing perfection, luck is king.
In leading trainer Danny O’Brien’s world, quality horses, improved training systems, facilities and momentum are the ingredients for sustained excellence.
O’Brien’s stable is flying with 12 winners from its past 50 starters as the yard bears down on record metrics.
With 72 wins and 128 placings from 200 runners after a treble at Pakenham on Thursday, O’Brien’s win strike rate sits at an impressive 17.7 while the place ratio to runners is a phenomenal 49 per cent.
“It’s a combination of things,” O’Brien said ahead of what shapes as another bountiful meeting for the stable, highlighted by Melbourne Cup winner Vow And Declare’s return to Flemington today.
“We’re constantly trying to improve the way we do things and we have better systems now.
“You’ve got to have the horses but the facilities here at Flemington have never been better.
“You only have to look at the other Flemington trainers and how well they’re doing. Mike Moroney (50 wins) is having a bumper season.
“It’s a variety of things.”
On target to eclipse the stable’s placings to runs best (46 per cent in 2004-05) and the most wins (106 in 2008-9), O’Brien will have six runners, including several favourites, at Flemington for the Anzac Day meeting.
Vow And Declare (Newton Handicap) is the flag-bearer – and short-priced favourite – but O’Brien has high hopes for others.
“Flying Award is a nice horse who’s run well twice and we think he’ll be hard to beat,” he said.
“Naivasha was really good winning last start and is well placed again while Extreme Pride (in the same race) is ready to run well second up.
“Run To Perfection has good New Zealand form and we’re expecting him to run well for us.
“We’re really pleased to have Vow And Declare running back at Flemington on a beautiful surface and he should very hard to beat at 2600m.
“Coin Collector has been terrific this preparation and we expect him to run well back on better ground.”
O’Brien will also start Skiddaw in the Chairman’s Handicap at Morphettville and expects the colt to erase the memories of a luckless run in the Australian Derby.
O’Brien would have had seven runners today, but another of his top fancies, Russian Camelot, was a scratching late yesterday due to an inflamed throat. O’Brien confirmed that the SA Derby remains on the table for the star colt.