Training record down to team effort
The foundation on which Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman’s outstanding season has been built is team-work.
The Cambridge trainers surpassed their own national training record at Tauherenikau this afternoon when Electrode credited them with their 115th win of 2017-18.
“Obviously, it has been very satisfying and we have very good staff, owners and jockeys,” Forsman said.
“Murray and myself are only part of it, we have some very capable people behind us and it’s thanks to them. “It’s been a solid season and we’ve managed to keep the momentum going right the way through.”
Forsman said the emergence of the three-year-old Vin De Dance had been one of their season’s highlights.
“Winning a Derby is special and we competed well in Melbourne – we’ve won four stakes races in Australia as well as 16 here so we’ve been kicking goals on both sides of the Tasman.”
Their reigning New Zealand Horse of the Year Bonneval led the charge at the Melbourne spring carnival with victory in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield off the back of her resuming success in the Group 2 Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley.
The stable will also have a further chance to add to their away record with the in-form Karisto, who has won his last two starts at Rotorua and Te Rapa, bound for the Queensland winter carnival.
“He’s booked to fly out on Friday week and, all going well, he’ll have his first start two weeks later,” Forsman said.