Barclay’s winning trio sold to Aussie
This season has been a mixed bag for trainer Kirstin Barclay, with stable runners winning, being sold and retired.
Barclay’s horses have won nine races since early December. Her latest winner, Ask Me Major, scored at Ascot Park last Saturday but was retired midweek. Soundness issues restricted the 6-year-old to three starts for a win and two fourths.
‘‘He came home a bit scratchy [from Ascot Park], so we made the call to retire him,’’ Barclay said.
Three of her other winners this season - My Rona Gold, Magical Marn and Just Say Go - have been sold to Australia. My Rona Gold joined the high profile Sydney stable of Shane and Lauren Tritton this month.
Grace Burns, credited with two wins this term, and maiden pacer Lite Percussion race for Barclay at the Wairio Trotting Club meeting at Winton today. Both will be reined by stable driver Andrew Suddaby.
All races at Winton are over one mile and Grace Burns has a wide front line draw to overcome in the D T King & Co Pace.
Three-year-old gelding Lite Percussion has drawn the outside of the second row for the Morris Contracting Ltd Pace.
‘‘He’s got ability but it’s taken a bit of time to work him out. If he puts it all together [on Saturday], he’s a place chance,’’ Barclay said.
‘‘He seems to run better for Andrew than me.’’
The licence holder also breaks in and pre-trains at her Tisbury stable. She is working up four horses for Westwood horseman Graeme Anderson.
‘‘We’re happy to pre-train for other trainers,’’ Barclay said.
Moving from Dunedin to Invercargill 17 years ago was a good decision, she said.
She had been working for Forbury Park owner-trainer Alan Clyma, but the move to Doug McLachlan’s Myross Bush stable in 2000 provided her with more opportunities to establish herself in southern driving ranks.