PATIENCE SET TO PAY OFF FOR TRAINER AT BEAUDESERT
NEARLY three years after discovering Olivia ‘N’ Me in a Toowoomba paddock, the colt has become trainer Jemimah Forde’s most exciting racing prospect.
Forde trains with the help of father and former trainer Mark Goodwin and when the latter glanced over the now three-year-old colt as a weanling, he went straight for her.
“We got him out of a paddock in Toowoomba,” said the Chinchilla-based trainer.
“It was very dry at the time and the blokes who owned the stud had a couple of weanlings they wanted to move along.
“Dad went down and had a look and fell in love with this fella and brought him home.
“We paid peanuts for him, I won’t tell you how much.”
It has turned out to be an astute decision with Olivia ‘N’ Me, named after Forde’s daughter, winning her first two races in Bundaberg and Emerald in May. Forde and Goodwin let the colt, who will race in today’s Class 1 Handicap (1200m), grow without the pressure of racing and their patience has paid off.
“He is a rising four-year-old now so we have had him for quite some time,” Forde said.
“Dad broke him in and let him grow. It was hard to tell back then because he had done nothing and he was pretty sensible. That was probably more reason to have patience with him.
“We didn’t want to rush him because we thought he would be more of a long-term proposition.”
Olivia ‘N’ Me has now become the best of Forde’s 10 horses and the most exciting horse for both her and Goodwin since I’m The One won the Listed Phelan Ready Plate in 2010.
Forde said today’s race would be the last of Olivia ‘N’ Me’s first preparation and suggested a potential appearance on the program at the Roma Cup race day in November could await the colt.