Racing at Ruakaka: Sun shines on Brosnan’s northern journeys

Sterling Express will run in Ruakaka for trainer Mark Brosnan.

Some impressive numbers explain why Matamata trainer Mark Brosnan doesn’t mind the long hauls to Ruakaka each winter.

The northern track seems to bring out the best in Brosnan, who trains a winner there with every six starters.

He batted way above that average at the latest meeting three weeks ago, when both Grace N Glory and Sterling Express, who are brother and sister and ownership mates, both won at the June 8 meeting.

They return north tomorrow as two of five starters Brosnan takes to Ruakaka and while some trainers will bemoan what can be a long haul from the Waikato if things don’t go well, Brosnan says he enjoys it.

“I don’t mind the drive, we seem to have a bit of success up there, and while winter stakes aren’t as good as the summer ones they are still pretty good,” he told the Herald.

For the record, Brosnan has had 119 starters at Ruakaka for 20 winners and 22 placegetters, with any trainer striking at a win every six starters anywhere doing a great job, especially one with just 14 racehorses.
“I actually like to keep the team to about 12 because I’m not getting any younger but we seem to have a few more at the moment.”

It doesn’t hurt when they are like smart three-year-olds like Sterling Express (R7, No.1) who won well last start and Brosnan believes will be even more potent up to 1400m tomorrow.

“He is a nice horse who has had a few issues but he is over those now,” he explains.

“He has a wide draw but I don’t think that will bother him as he tends to get back any way.”

Sterling Express gets the services of Warren Kennedy, who has been given another boost in his bid to win the NZ jockey’s premiership as arch-rival Michael McNab is again sidelined.

McNab rode in two races at Cambridge on Wednesday but pulled the pin on the rest of the day as his back was still sore after a recent fall. That cost him at least one winning ride on Wednesday and he may have missed as many as five or six already over the last two weeks.

How big a break Kennedy can establish over this weekend could be crucial to the outcome of the premiership.

Brosnan says Fly My Wey could be his better chance over stablemate Grace N Glory in the main staying race tomorrow even after the latter’s recent win.

“Fly My Wey likes it up there and while they both have chances I wouldn’t be surprised if he was my better hope.”

ly My Wey hasn’t raced at Ruakaka this campaign but we very consistent racing in the north this time last season.

The Ruakaka meeting has drawn some very even fields and with the track rated a Soft 5 during the week should provide punters with some fair mid-winter betting and a nice constrast to the wonderful jumps racing on at Hastings tomorrow.

Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.