Matamata trainer Mark Brosnan’s rich vein of winter form continued with an impressive performance by Sterling Express in Saturday’s Property Brokers & Katie Walker 3YO (1400m) at Te Rapa.
Brosnan has trained 12 winners this season, with five of those victories coming since the beginning of June. Grace ‘N’ Glory and Sterling Express kicked off that winter run with a double at Ruakaka on June 8, followed by successes by Diamond Jak at Te Rapa on July 6 and Fly My Wey in the $60,000 ITM/Gib Whangarei Gold Cup/Winter Championship Stayers’ Final (2100m) at Ruakaka on July 13.
Sterling Express kept that sequence going with an outstanding come-from-behind performance in Saturday’s $50,000 three-year-old race, while Diamond Jak was runner-up in the $50,000 Callinan Family Taumarunui RSA Gold Cup (2200m)
“We’ve been going alright through the winter, and it was another really good day today,” Brosnan said.
Sterling Express settled at the back of Saturday’s 11-horse field, then produced a withering finish in the Te Rapa straight. Unleashed down the outside of the track by jockey Warren Kennedy, Sterling Express bounded to the lead and drew away to score by two and three-quarter lengths from Did The Trick and Dior Sauvage.
Raced by his breeders Gail Macrae and Joanne McKeagg, Sterling Express has had nine starts for three wins, a second and $79,050 in stakes. The three-year-old Shamexpress gelding is a full-brother to his stablemate Grace ‘N’ Glory, who has also been a three-time winner.
“Sterling Express was impressive today,” Brosnan said. “He’s a horse that’s always shown a fair bit of ability, but he’s just had a few things go wrong along the way. He’s starting to put things together now.
“I’m not too sure what we’ll do with him next. He’s a year older on Thursday. His rating will go up a little bit from today’s win, but hopefully we’ll still be able to find some nice races for him in that Rating 75 grade in the meantime.”
Brosnan was left wondering what might have been with Diamond Jak, who was taken very wide around the first corner but produced a highly creditable performance to get to within a head of the Taumarunui Cup winner Hula Beat.
“That was a big effort without a lot of luck,” Brosnan said. “Nine times out of 10, he might have been able to win that race. But that happens in racing, and you have to take the good with the bad.
“I’m not sure where we’ll go next with him either. He’s an open-class horse now and there’s not very many options coming up for him. He does like Te Rapa and handles wet ground well. He also appreciates a bit of space between his runs, so we’re happy to take our time in finding something.”