01 July 2024 | Ashleigh Paikos
What a week it’s been for Michael Blakemore, with the New Zealand import not only getting engaged last week, but now adding the Trayning Cup to his achievements with Lombo Mitchinson causing an upset in the feature at Kellerberrin.
Driven by Stuart McDonald and starting at $6 odds for the Byford stable, Lombo Mitchinson was having just his seventh start for Blakemore, with Sunday’s win was what he hopes is first of many more to come.
“He’s a very intelligent horse and it’s taken me a wee bit to figure out the best way to get him going,
“He seems to be in a good head space at the moment so there a few more wins left in him.”
A regular commuter up Greenmount hill to the Central Wheatbelt to race, Blakemore explained that he was ‘rapt’ to get a cup win up there, with the day always an enjoyable one at Kellerberrin for the 30-year-old.
Lombo Mitchinson is owned by Mick Lombardo and after initially being asked to jog the horse up for this preparation, it soon turned into the horse staying in his care to race as well.
Blakemore made the move to WA in 2016, initially explaining it was due to the weather and the desire to expose his legs all year round, but after delving deeper, he soon explained that the lack of opportunities for junior drivers in New Zealand as well as his desire to eventually become a trainer and wanting more experience with that venture.
With his initial move landing him at Greg and Skye Bonds as a stable hand and driver, it didn’t take him long to work out that he had other pursuits in his sights.
“I’m pretty realistic, so when I realised that driving wasn’t for me, I looked into what else I could do for a career and got into doing the tracks.”
Blakemore is now the main man in charge of the track curating at Gloucester Park, and Michael Radley is often singing his praises on their podcast Talking Trots.
“I do enjoy the responsibility of doing the main track.”
Blakemore currently has a solid racing team, with Peligroso, Cullen Star, Tommy Kruze and Flying To Win all currently in work, just to name a few.
Since making his training debut in the 2018/19 season, Sunday’s win gave him his 30th training success from just 233 starters, with his win percentage sitting at 13% and his placings at an impressive 27%.
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