Ryan Foote racehorse training stable favoured by global racing giant Yulong in coup for NZ

Ryan Foote is one of the most promising young trainers in New Zealand. Photo / Trish Dunell

Ryan Foote finds himself in an enviable position tomorrow, being one of New Zealand’s youngest trainers with a horse for one of the world’s biggest owners.

The 22-year-old trains in partnership with his father, Ben, and the pair take six horses to Ruakākā tomorrow in search of some better winter footing.

One of those is Judicial (R4, No 2), who races in the famous green and white colours of Yulong, the Chinese-owned but mainly Australian-based racing and breeding giants who have stunned the thoroughbred industry with the scale of their spending in recent years.

Their greatest success story is Cox Plate winner and Australian Horse of the Year-in-waiting Via Sistina, but they started dabbling in the New Zealand racing market when they purchased the Foote-trained Vega For Luck this year, starting an association any trainers would dream of.

“It started with the 2-year-old, and we have now had three or four horses for them, which is great,” says Ryan Foote.

Judicial is a 3-year-old colt by Written Tycoon, who had two of his first three starts in Australia before contesting a Group 3 3-year-old race, then being sent across the Tasman to join the Footes.

“He is a lovely horse with real speed, and it took a couple of nice horses to beat him over 1100m at Ellerslie fresh up,” explains Foote.

“We actually trialled him on Tuesday because he missed a trial last week, and he won that well, so he has to be a good chance.

“He has a handy enough draw and the chance to go forward.”

Ruakākā in winter can be an interesting punting puzzle, but if it favours those on the rail, which it could well do as it will be out 8m, then Judicial could be hard to catch, even though tomorrow’s race is 100m longer than the one he peaked in when fresh up.

While the Footes are still getting to know Judicial, they have already had plenty of success with Keegan, the synthetic track specialist who contests the $40,000 Northpine Waipū Cup tomorrow.

He won on his favoured synthetic surface at Cambridge last start but drops back from 1550m to 1400m tomorrow, Ryan putting the blinkers in to sharpen him up for the distance drop.

“He had a really good but quite long synthetic winter campaign last season and he was quite tired at the end of it, but he feels like he is back to his best now.

“It could be a tricky race with some nice horses in there, but he is in form and we are confident he will race well.”

The stable’s first starter, Sweyma (R3, No 6), has had plenty of trials and gets a 3kg claim with Hayley Hassman riding and will be a chance, but it’s in a field with some form horses at the top of the book.

They have two reps in the R75 mile and Foote says while both Mars (No 2) and Nancy She Wrote (No 8) are both lovely mares, the former is their better chance after beating stablemate Mr Fortrus last start.

“Mars won well that day and has worked well since, whereas Nancy She Wrote tends to need things to go her way, so she would be suited by the speed being on and swooping late, which you can sometimes get at Ruakākā.”

Mr Fortrus lines up in the last race and should be aided by the 4kg claim from promising apprentice Sam McNab.

“Sam looks to have the family riding ability and his claim will help on a horse that likes to go forward,” says Foote.

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.