Speaker 1Gary Portelli is now joining us on the program. We should be counting down towards those cosy tickets, punters. 10.30 is when that draw will be conducted at Race in New South Wales. Good morning, Gary. Morning, Dave. How are you? Very, very good, mate. Looking forward to seeing some nice horses of yours at the races on Saturday. How's the team been going?
Speaker 2Really good, mate. Got these babies coming, all these better, older horses now coming through. We've got the babies in work, getting ready for hopefully the two-year-old trials. And, you know, we're just, like every other trainer, every owner, hoping there's one that rears its head and says it's a slipper type of horse or at least a good class of horse. So the next few weeks are pretty critical for them. And, you know, as I said, we're resuming with our better horses on the weekend.
Speaker 1Do you reckon you've got one there? Have you got anything at all showing that they're up and early, ready to go?
Speaker 2I've got about five or six that are just doing things that you wouldn't want them to be doing. That you really want to see at this point. That's good. Our education coming up in the next week. It's a very critical couple of weeks now. We've got the 21st as the official two-year-olds. There's a few there that are really forward. So, you know, they're running good times. They're doing it easily. But with the two-year-olds, you know, it's all about shin sort. It's all about attitude and coping with the pressures of getting fit now. So it's a very critical week or so. I know tomorrow at Warwick's Bar, there is jump outs down the straight. There's a few trainers who've got about 36 jumping out down the straight at Warwick Farm tomorrow morning. So I haven't got mine quite there for that yet. But mine are still at the barrier education stage. But I don't do a real lot of pushing them at this stage. They get cooked pretty quickly if you go too hard too quick. So just bring them on steadily. And, yeah, be able to see what, you know, some of the big sailors, Bjorn and Kieran, produce tomorrow.
Speaker 1So you're stable stars, though. You've got two of them going to the race on the weekend. Well, they're both being nommed. And I presume they accepted. So Verona Rose and NCAP both accepted in the Theo marks?
Speaker 2Yeah, that's right. They have, yep. So just waiting very anxiously for the barrier draw.
Speaker 1So with Verona, she's obviously a very good mare. She resumes here first up. What have you liked maybe with her break? What have you seen that you sort of think you're excited for?
Speaker 2Well, physically, she's just... built out into a monstrous mare. That's been something that was slow coming. She always a light-framed horse. Her ability belied what she looked like as a young horse at, you know, two and three. She was just a light-framed horse, not a little on top on her. Now she's probably a cricket bat wide between her two hips. Great big shoulders and forearms. And she's filled out. And so physically, she's come right on again. That's what you hope for when you're going from preparation to preparation. She's mature. And I gave her an easy trial at Randwick over the 740. And Zach Lloyd rode her and he came back, was very, very happy with the way she trialed. She was really hitting the line strongly at the back end of it. And I've never, ever trialed her more than once before a race first up. It's all she ever needs. So we're just following that pattern. And yeah, she's... We're hoping to draw a soft gate so that she can at least be, you know, in a good position when the pressure comes on. And... She's certainly good enough and working well enough that if things went right, she'd be very competitive.
Speaker 1And you've got NCAP, who's just been a marvel for your stable, mate. And he's trialed up pretty well.
Speaker 2Yeah, look, he's always there. And we've always had issues with his having soft feet, easily bruised, hard to shoe. Yeah, he's had issues. And the farriers did a fantastic job on him. And he's... This is the first preparation where I'm going to the races. And... There's no issues. And there hasn't been an issue the whole prep. So touch wood quickly. We've only got a few days to go. But he's very, very sound. And he's a trier, you know. And unfortunately, we haven't been able to knock over too many. But, geez, he's given us some sights in some group ones. You know, second in the donk... Third in the donk, after beating the head. You know, Golden Rose beating the head, you know, group one level. So when he turns up, when things go right and he has some luck, the race has run the suit, he can be very... He's very competitive at the top level. So if he comes down more sound than ever as he's older age now, he's more mature, then let's hope that we're in for a good prep too.
Speaker 1Have you got anything else in the stable that we can maybe have a little investment on? I see you've got Hawkesbury tomorrow. Robin Freeman's been doing a bit of riding for the stable.
Speaker 2Yeah, she's been riding work for us. And we're paying her hard work with some good rides. And she's been... You know, when we've gone to the races, thinking they can win, she makes sure they get in the right spot. We took one out to Mudgee, one of them super maidens. It was worth like 22,000 plus bobs out there. And we thought it'd just win. And she rode a jam, just moved up outside. One of Bjorn's horses was pushing us for favouritism. And she won quite well. And, you know, it's been a few rides where she's just made sure... And having that knowledge of the horse at track work helps when you get to the races, particularly provincially and country. And, you know, these days you go to country, it's not country anymore. You go to Goulburn, you're taking on all the big stables from Sydney. And so there's never an easy... It's not an easy race anywhere. But, you know, she's been going well for us. So I've got the big blokes, Saviour Storm, tomorrow. I've got a share in him as well. So I've got to give him strength. Been trolling okay, but looks a very strong maiden. So she's there. But I'd like my other horse on Saturday, Queen of Clubs, first up. She's come back in better order than what... She went out in, that's for sure. She was really struggling last camp. And what I was seeing her at home and her trial, she draws soft on Saturday at Roseville. Look for her. Maybe the 12-hour might be a little bit short, but what she's doing at home suggests that she's in for a big prep for us.
Speaker 1Beautiful. We'll have something on Goulburn Friday. Anything there?
Speaker 2I've got...
Speaker 1I see you're taking that Godolphin filly down.
Speaker 2Yeah, she's got a big drop back in grade for her. Tatiana, I have a 1,400. 1,400. Stroll and buy is probably my best chance down there. She won... That's the horse I was just talking about that won at Mudgee.
Speaker 1Yep.
Speaker 2It's always hard to tip a horse that's just won its maiden going up in grade because I think statistics say it's about 6% of horses that win their maiden win at the next start. So the bookies usually get what you want on them in their maiden back again the following start. But she's a nice filly. I think she's good enough to be very competitive on Friday. She's the best on Friday. Probably is the Queen of Clubs. And I'm really excited about the other two horses. Like, they're just... They're our stable pets as well. You know, everyone loves them. They've just got great attitudes and they're top-class horses. So hopefully a good weekend.
Speaker 1I hope it is for you too, mate. Good to chat with you, Gary. And we'll see you in the winner's store, mate.
Speaker 2Let's hope, mate. We've got even more to talk about. That'd be great.
Speaker 1Champion.
Speaker 2Thanks, Gary. Thank you.
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