3 minute read
Adam Trinder says Big John found his way into his stable almost as a mistake will line up for his third win on the trot in the Thai Imperial Class 2 over 1650m. The trainer revealed that Big John who was an unraced 5YO at the time was not the type of horse he would normally take but agreed to train him for his friend, owner Ricky Currie.
"I've had a long association with Rick and Luke (Currie) through hunting and so forth, Rick rang me and asked if I would train him and I said send him up and whatever he's done he's just continued to improve," Trinder explained.
Now a 7YO, Big John began racing last season, he was placed in all three runs before being sent for a spell. Upon resumption, after two winning trials, he won his maiden over 1350m before coming from last to win a Class 2 over the same trip three weeks ago.
"He's a big horse, Big John by name and Big John by nature, he's a big striding horse, out to the mile, he's starting to get to his right distance ranges because he probably realistically wants a mile and a quarter."
Trinder has made a flying start to the season with seven winners from just 12 starters. He has dominated the two meetings at his home track with four winners at the 6 August meeting and treble a fortnight later.
Despite the changing landscape in the Tasmanian training ranks and sitting on top of the table, Trinder doubts he has the numbers to land a premiership.
"Current dynamics I'm probably scaling back my team rather than increasing it, we're only working 24 horses so whether that's a big enough volume to win a premiership I do question.
"We pride ourselves on strike rate, send them to the races when they can win and not when they can't but I'm probably not going to have the amount of stock to win a premiership realistically."
Last season Trinder finished third on the premiership table with 52 winners at a strike rate of 20.3%, Scott Brunton won the title with 65 winners at 14.5%, John Blacker was second with 59 winners at 10.2%.
On Sunday, Trinder will take just a team of five to the track including three last-start winners, and all seem to have some chance of winning their respective races.
Mihoko Takeo and Ikigai Katsumi will represent the stable in the first two races, both maidens. Big John goes around in race three and Tequila Spirit will look to make it two from two since arriving from interstate in the Tasmanian Horse Transport Class 2 (1009m).
"I trialled her up and she trialled like a rocket, I sent her to the races, and she was good. Programming was a little bit awkward for her, we've held onto her for five weeks, back to a 1000m which I think is a positive, barrier one, she's going to bounce away and be hard to catch."
Trinder's final runner for the day is Vivilici who has come back from a couple of injury plagued seasons, winning at her third run this campaign when wearing blinkers for the first time, she will step out to 1350m in the Leaping Goat BM76 Hcp.
"She was a long time off the scene without stimulation but two runs back and blinkers on really sparked her up, she's really only starting to get race fit now so she will continue to improve."
