Title in the bag, trainer looks to Oz
The man with the most to look forward to in New Zealand racing admits one aspect of his immediate future is still clouded.
But if the last 11 months are anything to go by, champion trainer Jamie Richards will find a way.
Richards capped his stunning season by training his 100th domestic winner of the term when Bak Da Master won at Awapuni on Saturday — the first time he has reached that milestone in his short but stellar career.
That puts him 27 clear of Stephen Marsh on the trainers’ premiership, which is such a foregone conclusion the TAB paid out on Richards winning the title on Saturday morning, a smart move putting winnings in punters’ accounts hours before two thoroughbred meetings.
Richards enjoyed ticking off the 100 wins and premiership boxes, even though he could have trained 20 or even 30 more winners had it not been for lockdown.
But as tends to be the case at Te Akau, Richards is already looking forward to next season, one he has plenty of equine ammunition for but also poses some tricky logistical issues.
Te Akau are keen to tackle more Australian races after Richards trained three Group 1 winners there this season and they are working on securing 12 visitors’ stables at Flemington, while they also have Melody Belle and Probabeel back in Sydney.
But with Covid-19 still a major problem in Victoria in particular and travel restrictions unlikely to end any time soon, Richards says plans have to remain very fluid.
“We are still very keen to campaign horses in Melbourne and it will happen but we are not sure about some of the details yet,” Richards told the
Herald.
“We can send a staff member or two to look after the horses, even if they have to go through the quarantine process.”
● Injured jockey Michael Coleman could be out of hospital in a week after a successful surgery yesterday.
Coleman had his pelvis, which was broken in three places when a horse rolled on him at the trials last Tuesday, reset days after a first surgery on a broken leg on Thursday. The injuries have put the star rider’s career in doubt.