The Australian training landscape is hurtling towards a format that will soon mimic the English Premier League. A dominant handful of corporatized, mega stables with hundreds of regally bred horses frequently outpointing their smaller, underfunded rivals.
But the UK’s top-flight football competition also has an uncanny history of throwing up a surprise packet every season. The trick is, which one?
In the field of syndication, it’s easy to choose one of the larger, more fashionable operations. More challenging and arguably more rewarding, is to identify the small to medium-sized stable that consistently punches above its weight, offers a more personable approach and therefore represents opportunity.
When discussing options for a Victorian trainer this year, there was only one name that kept coming up – CHARLOTTE LITTLEFIELD. The stats from her last 50 runners…10 winners for a 20% strike rate.
Now strike rates can be a touch misleading. Trainers like jockeys, sires, broodmares and stud farms have their ups and downs with the most flattering few weeks at the forefront of a marketing push. Critically, HAYFIELDS RACING (CHARLOTTE & partner JULIAN HAY) has a 20% strike rate for the whole season! Compare that to the current seasonal figures of the Victorian goliaths below:
A & S Freedman 19.4%
Ben, Will & JD Hayes 16.3%
Price & Kent 15.3%
Ciaron Maher 14.4%
Busuttin Young 14.3%
Moody & Coleman 13.1%
Sure, these stables are saddling heaps more runners but significantly, the median yearling price of Charlotte’s last 10 winners offered at auction is only $40,000! The median yearling price of Chris Waller’s winners in the past month is $240,000.
So, one would think it’s a decent punt to direct better credentialled stock her way. Proven’s first three yearlings to be trained by Charlotte were purchased for an aggregate price of $315,000 and include the progeny of SHAMUS AWARD, TASSORT and LUCKY VEGA.