Cambridge trainer Robert Wellwood is one of the bright young stars of the New Zealand training ranks and the hands-on horseman has already proved adept at a number of roles in the thoroughbred industry. But on Monday Wellwood ticked another industry box, filling the void as the commentator at the Taupo trials, after a rostering faux pas.

“We turned up first thing as we had one in heat three and they announced over the loud speaker that because the trials were only put on at the last minute, somebody at the TAB had forgotten to roster on a commentator,” Wellwood said. “Gerald Fell (member of the Taupo Club committee) said that if anyone wants to give it a go, come on up to the commentary box.

“We had one in the third trial, so I went and did that and they kept saying they were in need of a commentator after that, so I thought why not tick it off the bucket list. “It was a very boring trial meeting without anybody commentating, so I thought I might as well give it a crack.”

Wellwood called at least half a dozen trials and enjoyed the banter with his mates in the tight-knit industry. “It was basically what I could do in between our own horses that were trialling,” he said. “I don’t know that I am any George Simon, but it is ticked off the bucket list. “Everyone had a bit of a chuckle. It was a bit of a laugh but I think I will stick to training. I wasn’t that good at it.”

Good friend and fellow trainer Stephen Marsh was quick to provide some ribbing, with Wellwood giving plenty back in his commentary of the Marsh-trained Baby Face in heat 21. If northern commentator George Simon is ever in need of a few races off, Wellwood is only too happy to oblige on one proviso. “As long as he saddles our horses, I might be able to give him a hand,” he quipped.

After trials at Taupo on Monday and races at Rotorua on Tuesday, Wellwood’s focus will be on Karaka in the coming days for the Ready to Run Sale of two-year-olds where he and training partner Roger James are keen to add to the team.

The in-form stable will also have a handful of key runners at Counties on Saturday, with Madam Hass, Shenanigans and Monlula stepping out, with the former to contest the Listed Haunui Farm Counties Bowl (1100m). “It looks like it will come up a pretty strong field. The 1100m will suit Madam Hass. She is a pretty sharp mare and it will be her first test at this level, but she is probably there to take that step,” Wellwood said.

Monlula will contest the HR Fisken & Sons Ltd 1600, while Shenanigans will line-up in the Vernon And Vazey 1400. “Shenanigans is going well. I thought his first-up run at Te Rapa was good. He needs a run under his belt to get that fitness and he is a horse we are looking to step up over ground at short notice,” Wellwood said. “Monlula is the same. He is just going over the mile again, but he is a real staying horse and he is a bit of a talent. He will be one to watch when he gets to 2000m and beyond.”

Meanwhile, the stable’s pair of Group 2 winners over the past week — Hypnos and Concert Hall — have both come through their exertions well and will both be aimed at the Group 1 Rydges Wellington Captain Cook Stakes (1600m) at Trentham on December 5. “Hypnos came straight home (from Christchurch) and went back to the farm. He will come back in early next week and might go to the water treadmill, which we have used successfully with him before,” Wellwood said.

“Concert Hall is jumping out of her skin. If I wasn’t there on Saturday, you wouldn’t believe she’d run a race. “We will just keep her nice and fresh and she is going really well over the mile now. It looks a nice race for her and it is probably going to be missing a few stars that you might have bumped into earlier in the spring.”

Robert Wellwood recorded his first black-type win as a trainer at Ellerslie on Boxing Day last year and he is hoping it will be a fruitful day once again at the Auckland track on Thursday. “It was a big thrill to do it on Boxing Day at headquarters,” he said. “It was a good day, so it would be nice if we could back it up and do it again.”

That first feature win came courtesy of Hypnos in the Listed Shaw’s Wires Ropes Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m), and Wellwood, who trains in partnership with Roger James, will take a strong contingent into the race this year with Group performers Shenanigans and Hasstobegood.

Shenanigans won on debut before finishing runner-up behind Scorpz in the Group 3 Wellington Stakes (1600m) at Trentham last start, and his trainers are looking for a solid run from the son of Ocean Park ahead of a return to Trentham next month. “He’s a horse with a lot of raw ability. He has still got a lot to learn before being the finished product,” Wellwood said. “The 1400m of the Uncle Remus is probably going to be a bit short for him, but hopefully it’s just a nice run that bounces us into the Levin Classic (Group 1, 1600m). “He is going to have blinkers on, which could help him.”

Stablemate Hasstobegood will also contest the Uncle Remus Stakes and Wellwood said the performance of the three-year-old filly would dictate the path they navigate ahead. “She ran nicely the other week at Ellerslie (when finishing fourth in the Group 3 Bonecrusher Stakes, 1400m), but we are just unsure as to whether she gets 1400m or a mile, so we are going to learn a bit on Thursday about where we are going to head with her,” he said. “We could sharpen her up and have her racing back over 1200m, which she has excelled at, or we could stretch her out to a mile because she is Karaka Million eligible. “If we believe we can get a mile we may have a crack at the 3YO Classic.”

While Hypnos gave Wellwood his first stakes win last year, the Cambridge conditioner is hoping the gelding can repeat his Boxing Day heroics, but this time in the Dunstan Feeds 1500 Championship Final.

The son of Reliable Man heads into the race in winning form, after claiming victory over 1400m at Awapuni earlier this month, and the only concern Wellwood has heading into Thursday is the 60kg Hypnos has been lumbered with. “He has got a lot of weight,” Wellwood said. “But he is racing really well and is back in good form. He has come through the run at Awapuni very well, so we couldn’t be happier with him. “But weight stops trains, so we are just hopeful that he is a class above them.”

Everything going to plan, Hypnos will back-up at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day before heading south to Trentham for a Group 1 assignment. “If he came through the run well on Boxing Day we may look to head to the Rich Hill Mile (Group 2, 1600m) and then the Thorndon Mile (Group 1, 1600m). But we will just take it step-by- step with him.”

Wellwood is particularly excited about the prospects of three-year-old filly Two Illicit who will be aiming for back-to-back stakes victories when she contests the Group 2 SkyCity Eight Carat Classic (1600m) on Thursday. The daughter of Jimmy Choux boasts a near impeccable formline after two victories and a placing from just three starts, including a last start victory in the Listed Trevor Eagle Memorial 3YO (1500m).

“She’s a lovely filly and she’s in grand order,” Wellwood said. “She has ticked every box heading into this, so it would be nice to get another stakes win with her. “She will hopefully head to New Year’s Day also. I think as we start getting up over ground in these fillies races after Christmas she is really going to be a force to be reckoned with.”

The James and Wellwood team have been in great form of late, headlined by Concert Hall’s win in the Group 3 Manawatu Cup (2300m) at Awapuni, and they hope it will continue over the festive season. “It was a terrific result,” Wellwood said. “She has been rather frustrating in the way that she has been racing, it has made it very hard to win races. So it was nice to see her sit in the first half of the field and when she let down she really dominated. “She will probably head to the City of Auckland Cup (Group 3, 2400m) on New Year’s Day now.”

Regally bred gelding Shenanigans has a long way to go to reach the heights of several of his siblings, but he made a promising start to his racing career at Avondale on Tuesday, winning the Westbrook Wines 1400.

Bred and owned by Christopher and Susanna Grace, the Ocean Park three-year-old is a half-brother to dual Group 1 winner Shillelagh, Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) placegetter Tullamore, and stakes winner Grazia.

Shenanigans was having his debut run on Wednesday and Rob Wellwood, who trains the gelding in partnership with Roger James, was delighted to get the result for the Grace’s. “He has probably done it off raw ability, but he is a really relaxed customer,” Wellwood said. “He has certainly got a lot to learn, but going forward he is going to be a nice staying type in the making if he can improve off of that.”

Shenanigans went into Wednesday off the back of a 1200m trial win at Te Teko last month and his connections were hopeful of a bold showing on debut. “He was quite green in his trial,” Wellwood said. “It helped that he had a horse outside him today. “Ryan (Elliot, jockey) was impressed, but he said he was pretty green throughout the running, but when he got down and figured out what it was all about he felt pretty good hitting the line.”

Wellwood said they would take a patient approach with the gelding who has shown the Kingsclere team a lot of promise. “He has always shown a lot of raw ability. Even as a two-year-old he won a trial at Cambridge, which really surprised us. “From there he has just kept learning and has kept taking the necessary steps each time and has kept putting his hand up right throughout the process. “We are excited about him, but he is certainly not the finished product yet.”

While Wellwood was pleased with the win it is his training partner who was even happier, given his close association with Shenanigans’ close relations. “Roger has had a long association with Christopher and Susanna Grace and funnily enough bought the dam of Shenanigans, Trocair, and he also bought the dam of Ocean Park, Sayyida, as yearlings,” Wellwood said. “He knows the family pretty well and we are very grateful to have a horse off Christopher and Susanna Grace. They breed nice horses and hopefully we can kick a few goals with Shenanigans.”