Racing: Competition for Trainers Premiership begins to hot up

Stephen Autridge will keep one eye on his large racing team and the other on the opposition as the final 12 weeks of the 2004-2005 season count down.

Hamilton-based Autridge and transtasman training partner Graeme Rogerson are currently on top in the New Zealand Trainers Premiership with 67 wins, nine wins clear of rivals Mark Walker and Michael Pitman.

The Autridge-Rogerson stable are planning a massive assault on the Dargaville Racing Club meeting on Wednesday. They have nominated 15 horses.

"I really want to attack that meeting at Dargaville on Wednesday as it's traditionally the last firm track we will strike up here in the Auckland-Waikato area before the winter racing conditions really kick in," said Autridge.

"We've scaled down our training operation to 60 horses for this time of the year and I've hopefully got a few racehorses that can come out and fire when the tracks are really wet and muddy.

"In previous years Graeme and myself have ended up in the chasing position trying to close in on the premiership leader and it's something we couldn't achieve.

"Last year at this time of the season we were seven wins behind Mark Walker and ended up getting beaten by two wins, so it's a comforting position to be in at the moment.

"We've got quite a useful winter racing team in training and we're having a good run right now winning races regularly.

"It's also good having a racing stable in Palmerston North under the guidance of Roydon Bergerson.

"We have 20 horses in Palmerston North and it's made things a lot easier for us as we can place our horses throughout the North Island for better racing opportunities.

"It also cuts down on the amount of travelling we have to do with our horses, as we were previously carting horses down to the lower North Island from Hamilton every fortnight.

"It also works in well with owners we have that live further down the North Island as it means that they can have easier access to watching their horses train and race.

"We will also have a good team of jumping horses in training this season and a lot of them will be based in Palmerston North as we have leading jumps jockey Eddie Lamb working for us.

"Eddie [Lamb] will be riding the horses every day in training and when you have a top jumps jockey working with your horses it has a great impact on everything."

Well-performed 3-year-old Cedar Manor will fly to Brisbane next Thursday for a lengthy winter campaign following his impressive last-start third placing at Te Rapa.

Cedar Manor raced well in Melbourne earlier this season before returning to New Zealand for an unsuccessful attempt on the New Zealand Derby.


- HERALD ON SUNDAY