By Jason Bonnington
Unfortunately for most, this won’t be the case and it’s the hope rather than the reality of something better that gets them through the cold, early mornings and the rollercoaster that is racing life.
That is of course, unless you’re name is Zachary Cornell.
A 34-year-old Goulburn Valley native with horse heritage flowing through his veins, Cornell has fast become one of Australasia’s biggest boutique owners.
Though his ownership ride began before Suave Stuey Lombo and Mach Beauty joined Shane Tritton’s stable within a week of each other in June 2103, that’s when it really hit top gear.
Having very briefly teamed with Tritton via a nice old pacer named Notjustanotherama seven months prior, Cornell decided to hitch his wagon with the Newcastle trainer from that day forward.
In total, Suave Stuey Lombo and Mach Beauty have raced under the Cornell/Tritton banner 78 times for 24 successes.
Two of these triumphs have been in a Cordina Sprint (Suave Stuey Lombo) and Breeders Challenge Final (Mach Beauty) both at Group 1 level.
Despite the incredible journey Cornell has enjoyed with the two speed machines however, it’s almost certain he’s found an even better commodity with his latest acquisition, Arms Of An Angel.
A handy mare when trained in New Zealand, she has jumped out of the ground under Tritton’s tutelage and proved she was something special winning Saturday night’s Hondo Grattan Stakes.
“There are no tricks to how I find horses; I spend two or three hours a night going through tapes and when I find one I like I go and drive them myself,” Cornell said.
“A lot of what I look for obviously comes down to gate speed and now I’ve teamed with Shane OI try to find horses that will play to his training techniques and his strengths.
“We’ve had heaps of fun with ‘Stuey’ and Mach Beauty but this mare (Arms Of An Angel) looks like something else again.
“I only bought her as a nice mare who could win an M0 but she showed us from pretty early on she was going a hell of a lot further than that.”
The only obstacle for Cornell, Tritton and Arms Of An Angel is pencilling in a plan between now and the Chariots Of Fire on February 13.
Having already qualified for that race she’ll miss this weekend’s Paleface Adios and it’s looking increasingly likely that she’ll head into Australia’s most prestigious 4YO race without another run.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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