Cover image courtesy of Annabel Neasham Racing
Only a few months into her career as a trainer in her own right, Annabel Neasham will head to Rosehill on Saturday for her biggest day yet with Ghostwriter contesting the $1 million Golden Gift.
The young horsewoman, who has already trained four winners from 11 starters, is excited about the prospect of having a live chance in the second edition of the lucrative race for juveniles.
“I’m sure there will be a few nerves on the day, but for now I’m just excited because I’m happy with where the horse is at,” Neasham told TDN AusNZ on Thursday. “Obviously it’s raining today and it’s going to be a rain-affected track, and that’s one thing I don’t know, whether he’ll handle a rain-affected track.
“But a lot of people will find out with their 2-year-olds whether they handle it or not and I suppose if you do, it’s another feather in your cap because the Sydney autumn is often wet.
“So that will be interesting to see if handles it, but that’s out of our control and in terms of where the horse is, I don’t think he could be looking any better leading into Saturday.”
Ghostwriter as a yearling
Ghostwriter, a $975,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale purchase by Aquis Farm from the draft of Rosemont Stud, has already done a significant amount of travelling for a young horse.
He had his first start at Doomben two weeks ago, which he won in impressive fashion, and Neasham said that holds him in good stead ahead of his second trip to the races.
“Obviously it’s only two weeks between runs but I think his fitness is good and he’s a really mentally and physically sound horse and I knew that the trip away wouldn’t knock him around a lot,” she said.
“Most 2-year-olds you wouldn’t dare travel interstate for their first run but I knew he’d cope with it and he did, and I think he’s sharpened up mentally.
“Most 2-year-olds you wouldn’t dare travel interstate for their first run but I knew he’d cope with it and he did." - Annabel Neasham
“Although he’s only two and had one start, he’s probably a relatively well-travelled horse because he would’ve made his way up from Rosemont to the Gold Coast Sales. Then he started off with Kacy Fogden’s team and then he’s travelled down to Warwick Farm, he’s then gone back up there to race, so I think as a result he just takes everything in his stride.”
Phoenix buy in
Earlier this week, it was announced that the Phoenix Ladies Syndicate had bought into the 2-year-old son of I Am Invincible, and Neasham said it’s been a big plus to have the support of some big players in the game so early in her career.
“It’s a big confidence booster for not only myself, but hopefully others looking in when they see that I’ve been supported by the likes of Aquis, Phoenix and Kia Ora just to name a few.
“It’s a big confidence booster for not only myself, but hopefully others looking in." - Annabel Neasham
“Hopefully that will give some other people the confidence to give me some horses or to support me. You can’t train fresh air and I’m fortunate that I’ve got a nice crop of juveniles to get me started.”
While expensive stock and big owners would normally equate to a lot of pressure for a young trainer, Neasham said it’s something that she relishes.
“I know those guys pretty well and have got a good relationship with them,” she said.
“I think it’s important to have a certain amount of pressure but I think it’s important not let the pressure get to you too much because you’re not going to enjoy it then.
“I’ve got a job to do and that’s to try and get the best out of these horses and get them to perform to the top of their ability.
“That comes down to training each individual horse correctly and more importantly, placing them where they can win, so yes, there is going to be pressure but I enjoy pressure and I enjoy a challenge as well.
“There’s nothing more enjoyable than having nice horses and trying to win big races.”
Annabel Neasham and Ghostwriter | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Since taking out her licence with around 15 horses in work, Neasham’s stable has doubled and she hopes it will continue to grow as she has more runners, and hopefully, more winners.
“We’ve got 40 boxes and we’ve got 32 in work so there’s still a few more to fill,” she said “We’ve got a few more to come in next week then we’ll be targeting the yearling sales, and we have bought one from overseas.
“Hopefully we’ll just keep building and with a bit of luck, I’ll be looking for some more boxes in the near future.”
As well as building a strong team of horses, she has also built a strong team of staff and said that is one of the most important things when starting as a new trainer.
“I’ve got four excellent riders, I’ve got a really good, young foreman and good ground staff,” she said. “All of my staff are good which is so important, you can’t just rely on yourself, you’ve got to have a good support team.
“It’s important to delegate but you can only delegate to the right people and so far I’ve got some really capable staff. That means I can concentrate on where I need to be.”
