By Duane Ranger
The future of New Zealand’s training ranks are in good hands if last Friday’s meeting at Addington Raceway was anything to go by.
Two Canterbury-based conditioners – both in their mid-20s – trained their first winners at the ‘Centre For Life’ meeting.
Ohoka’s Trent Yesberg won with his first starter to the races this season when the John Dunn driven Blue Blazer got up by a head the $11,000 Vivace R40 to R48 Pace. Overall it was Yesberg’s sixth starter as a trainer.
Then six races later Dunn saluted again – this time behind the Jason Thomas trained Devilicious in the $12,000 Commodore Hotel Maiden Pace. It was Aylesbury-based Thomas’s fourth starter to the races.
Both were rapt to have achieved their first wins so early in their training careers.
Yesberg said Blue Blazer’s first win in three lifetime starts was extra special because the 3-year-old colt was the first Auckland Reactor foal to be born.
“I have been an Auckland Reactor fan, both as a racehorse and sire, since day one. It was quite exciting actually because I had some special people with me. I watched it from the front row of the grandstand with my partner (Sarah Clements) and my parents (Paul and Wendy).
“The win has more than fuelled my fire for the game. It has really stoked it right up. The owners (Kaplan Family, Victoria) have been with me since day one, so I’m really happy for them as well,” Yesberg said.
“Hopefully the horse can back up at Timaru on Saturday week. Getting number two so soon would also be a great start to both my season and my training career,” 27-year-old he added.
Thomas, who drove 14 winners as a junior driver, was equally delighted to have got his first win out of the way – four races into his training career.
“It was a great feeling – especially to achieve it on a prestigious track like Addington. I’m just so happy to get it out of the way so early on. Some trainers can wait 40 starts or more to get their first winner. I’m rapt and really want to build on it from here on,” 25-year-old Thomas said.
Thomas thought Devilicious was a place chance if she got the run to suit. He had $5 each-way on her just in case.
Nice move. She was the 13th favourite of 16 and paid $80.60 and $15.20.
“One of the owners had $100 over $150 on her. He was a bit more confident than me, but she’s a nice mare who can win a few more.
“She’s five and only had nine starts. I leased her off Terry Chmiel. She is by Jereme’s Jet and a great-grand-daughter of Frangelico, and she was a pretty good mare,” Thomas said.
Thomas was born in Nelson and was educated at Waimea College. He is the son of Richmond trainer, Ian. When he was 16 he left home and went and worked for Dean Taylor at Ladbrooks.
After four years with Taylor, he had a further two with Robert Dunn and then worked for Neil Edge before leaving the industry.
“I went drain-laying for a year and then I made my mind up to do shoeing and possibly do some training one day; and here I am today working four,” Thomas said.
As well as farrier work Thomas also works mornings for Ken Barron.
Meanwhile, Christchurch-born and Shirley Boys High School educated Yesberg also has another employer – as well as working his own team of three.
“I work at Dancingonmoonlight Farm at Ohoka, and I’m also working hard at building my team up. It’s all about growing the business, I’ve also got four 2-year-olds and I am very big on breeding.
“I’m really enjoying training my own team. I immersed myself in man facets of the industry. I’m also a breeder, owner, yearling parade preparer, stallion manager and buyer. I also wean them and break them in. I’m here for the long haul. I want to expand our business,” Yesberg said.
Yesberg, who has degree in agricultural science with a masters in pastoral agronomy, gave away his well-paid day job as an accounts manager for a fuel company to further his life-long passion for standardbreds.
“It was actually Dad and Brent Lilley who got me into the game. I used to work for Brent before and after school. Dad used to have horses with him and that’s how I got into it,” Yesberg said.
“Today it’s all about laying a solid platform and keep on learning and improving everything I do,” he added.
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