Racing: Why Stephen Marsh comes back for seconds

Stephen Marsh. Photo / Trish Dunell

Stephen Marsh’s big career goal may have been over before it started this season, but he still has a premiership target set for the remainder of the racing term.

Marsh will finish second on the New Zealand trainer’s premiership for the fourth straight season and could be forgiven for wondering “what if”.

If the giant Te Akau machine didn’t exist, first backing Jamie Richards and now Mark Walker, Marsh would be well on his way to his fourth consecutive premiership and being touted one of the great trainers in New Zealand history. Instead he will finish runner-up for the fourth straight season and it was never even close as his 80 wins put him 95 behind the record-breaking Walker.

Marsh is in a league of his own in second, 39 wins ahead of third-placed Robbie Patterson.

Marsh had at least a sniff of the premiership last season and would still love to win it, but with the horse numbers not in his favour he focuses on what he can control.

“I can only do my best for my owners and their horses and I think we are doing that,” he told the Weekend Herald.

“We are getting stronger, we are buying better yearlings and I think we have even better days ahead.

“We have to have our own goals too. I am at 80 for the season and just ticked over $3 million in stakes which is a great result, and I’d like to get to 100 again.”

While winter sees most of the bigger stables start to wind down, Marsh has 14 entered for Te Rapa today and four at Riccarton and says even though the Waikato track was rated heavy yesterday, he intends to start all of his entries.

“If we scratch and wait for a better track we could be waiting a while so we will line them up and if any of them really don’t handle it then maybe they can go for a spell.

“But I don’t think it will be bottomless heavy so they will all go around.”

His 14 at Te Rapa will be one of his busiest ever single-meeting representations including three - Tower Flypass, Glamour Tycoon and Moet Down - in the day’s feature, the $65,000 Juvenile.

“All three are smart horses but I think Glamour Tycoon might be the best chance,” says Marsh.

“She was a close second to the favourite for this race on debut, has improved and has galloped well on wet tracks.”

He rates Miss Martini (R2, No 12) as possibly his best winning chance of all 18 starters.

“We have a good hand in the sprint (race five) but two of them, Winning For All and Mercurial, were pretty easily beaten by Johny Johny last start and it is hard to see them turning that around.

“Mister Roshan (R4, No 7) is a little bit in the same boat in his Rating 75 race because he is going well but meets a smart horse in Devastate that I am not sure we can beat.”

Marsh has four in the R87 mile and suggests Te Rapa specialist Encierro is back in distance after two moderate middle distance attempts.