Trillo’s ‘good horse’ could win for Marsh

PLENTY of people make promises like the one Vern Trillo made to Stephen Marsh.

In racing, the easiest thing for an owner to do is promise a trainer that one day you will give them a horse, maybe even a good horse.

Trillo might have thought it was the best way of appeasing a then 16yearold Marsh, the kid with racing stars in his eyes who wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, Bruce.

It was more than 20 years ago the Aucklandbased equine dentist Trillo would head to Woodville to smooth out the edges on horse’s teeth, his clients including Marsh senior.

Holding the horse’s heads while Trillo worked would be Stephen, pestering ‘‘Mr Trillo’’ to one day give him a horse.

‘‘I would tell him, ‘Mr Trillo you know one day I’ll be training and I’d love to train a horse for you’,’’ laughs Marsh. ‘‘And he told me he would definitely do that but he would make sure it was a good horse.’’

Marsh would eventually move to Cambridge and, true to his prediction, become a trainer, then a good trainer.

Trillo remained the family horse dentist and Marsh did not stop hassling him.

‘‘I saw a couple of nice horses Vern owned going around for other trainers and would ask him when I was going to get one. But Vern would just say, no, I’m, waiting until I get the right one for you. A good one.’’

Two years ago, when Marsh was 36, Trillo casually turned to him and said he had that horse now.

His name is now Vernanme and he can win today’s $1 million Vodafone Derby at Ellerslie.

Trillo, who retired from the equine dentistry only last week, was not joking when he told Marsh their first horse together would be a good one.

Vernanme is a brother to ATC Derbywinning filly Shamrocker and Auckland Cup winner Rock Diva and Trillo got no argument from coowner Kevin Hickman when he suggested Marsh train the beautiful son of O’Reilly.

And Marsh has had to really train him because, for all his talent, Vernanme has needed time.

‘‘He always had the ability but we have had to wait for him a bit, so he was in work for a month, then spelling, and then back for a jumpout, then another spell.

‘‘But last September we knew we had a horse who could win the Derby and since then everything has been about this race.’’

His laststart third in the Avondale Guineas saw

Vernanme sweep into the race at the 400m before grinding his way down the Ellerslie straight.

But, as always, that was about looking forward.

‘‘He has improved with that and Jason [Waddell] thinks there is another two lengths in him. He is exactly where he needs to be and while I respect how hard it is to win a Derby, we think we have the horse

who can do it.’’

Marsh is the only person mentioned in this story who has not won a Derby in some capacity. Yet.

His father, Bruce, did with Hail, Hickman and Trillo both have, Waddell won it just last year.

The oncepersistent kid from Woodville will arrive at Ellerslie today now one of the most polished trainers in the game, one of racing’s big three under40s with Jamie Richards and Andrew Forsman, the future of the industry.

Polished but with nerves only a Derby can create.

‘‘It is our greatest race, it is the race that matters the most, so I know having a horse good enough to win it isn’t to be taken lightly.’’

Neither, apparently, is Vern Trillo’s word.