Te Akau: Exciting Challenge
Today's Waikato Times interviews incoming Te Akau NZ trainer Jason Bridgman.
New Te Akau trainer Jason Bridgman says from an outsider's perspective him replacing champion trainer Mark Walker is akin to a rookie taking over from Robbie Deans at the Crusaders. But he says the reality is the infrastructure at the stable remains the same and there will be no less desire for success.
Tuesday's Te Teko trials has traditionally been a key starting point for the Te Akau Racing Stables, with Walker producing float-loads of runners to kick off their spring preparations.
But with Walker heading to Singapore inside the next six weeks and the likes of Gr I winner Tell A Tale, Rio Fortune, King's Ransom and Our Heir Apparent set to either follow or having already gone, as well as Peter and Philip Vela opting to spread their horses out among other stables next season, the Te Akau firepower for next season will be diluted.
Tell A Tale arrived in Singapore this week and will spend two weeks in quarantine before he prepares for three Singapore-Gr I races, the Kranji Mile on October 3, the Raffles Cup (1800m) on October 24 and the Singapore Gold Cup (2200m) on November 14.
Bridgman, who replaces Walker as head trainer at Te Akau on Sunday, will produce around six runners at Tuesday's trials, including two two-year-olds by Captain Rio and Snitzel.
He said a bigger team would step out at the Te Teko trials on August 31, including the $1.3 million Redoute's Choice-Grand Echezeaux colt and the $1 million Fastnet Rock-Popsy colt, two high-profile early season two-year-olds, as well as some older horses including Gr II-placed filly Miss Thorn.
Bridgman described his team for the new season as ''mostly a young, fresh-looking, untried lot'' but said it was a ''golden opportunity'' for him.
''I'm immensely looking forward to it. It's a golden opportunity,'' he said.
''We all know life is about opportunities and I'm very fortunate to be able to get this opportunity. The best part of it is I really feel ready for it. 'Coming in a bit later, I'm 39, I've had enough time now and I know I've got enough experience behind me to handle this. I feel quite confident in my abilities and feel confident enough to take this challenge head on. 'It can only be exciting. That's the only emotion I have because I'm not worried about anything, only looking forward to it.''
Bridgman, who has an honours degree in applied science, majoring in sports turf management and landscape architecture, has an impressive CV.
He worked for Noel Eales and John Hawkes, and was foreman for Michael Moroney then Mark Walker at Matamata before embarking on an international racing education, working for English trainer Clive Brittain, Irish trainer Dermot Weld, Frenchman Francois Dumen, and Americans Niall O'Callaghan and Todd Pletcher.
He returned home and joined Graham Richardson in partnership before training on his own account.
Bridgman said the opportunity to return to Te Akau Racing as head trainer was the appointment of his dreams.
''I'm lucky in that if I hadn't worked for Mark and David [Ellis, Te Akau boss] 10 years ago, I'd be probably finding it quite daunting at the moment,'' he said.
''But it feels like slipping back into an old pair of shoes coming back here. I feel comfortable in this environment and I know I've got the right support around me. 'Mark's still going to be a great shoulder to lean on and I'll be asking him plenty of questions and keeping in close contact with him. 'From an outsider looking in, it probably looks like I'm replacing Robbie Deans at the Crusaders - replacing the irreplaceable - but it's not really like that.''
Bridgman said he had premiership aspirations but it was unrealistic to expect him to take the title in his first couple of years.
''We'll be happy if we could get a top-five finish going into this rebuilding stage. 'We've got a lot of young horses coming through and you just don't know what uncovered talent is in there yet. 'But I know from a business perspective David and Mark would like to think we could be winning dual premierships in Singapore and New Zealand in the not-to-distant future.''
King's Rose and Icepin are two of the established rising three-year-olds Bridgman is looking forward to developing, while he has high hopes for South Island based stakes-performers Minqar Qaim and Encosta Diablo.
''King's Rose is the best-credentialled of last year's two-year-olds coming through. She's already shown she belongs in the best company but she's got to take that next step,'' he said.
''She's going to appreciate getting up to a mile next season - she wasn't really a sprinter. She's an exciting prospect. Of the males, Icepin proved himself against the best two-year-olds. He's a tough, nuggetty horse and he's got enough size about him to expect further improvement at three. Encosta Diablo is at out South Island stable and he looks a ready-made spring three-year-old type. 'At the moment a lot of the horses are just going through the motions but when they start galloping up next month things will move up a notch, that's for sure.''
Bridgman was also optimistic that Zabeel rising five-year-old Saheel - a mare he has brought into the Te Akau set up himself - could measure up to the best sprinters next season.
''She'll be on the campaign trail for some of out bigger sprints. The Railway is her race. She loves Ellerslie, she'll get fast ground and there'll be plenty of pace. That's her kind of racing and at her best she's capable of taking as race like that.''
CREDIT - AIDAN RODLEY WAIKATO TIMES