Trainers’ Association baton handed to Wellwood
Group One-winning horseman Robert Wellwood is looking forward to serving his industry colleagues, although keeping them all satisfied will be a challenge.
Wellwood has succeeded Shaun Clotworthy as National President of the New Zealand Trainers’ Association and acknowledged you can’t please all of the people all of the time.
“It’s a hard role because you can never keep everybody happy, I don’t think people quite realise what happens in the background and how much effort people put in of their own time,” he said.
“Without a trainers’ association you’ve got zero power, so it is important and it’s come around to my turn to do it.”
Wellwood is well aware of the short and long-term demands of the role but does have a strong team to work with.
“Obviously, it’s not a paid position and you end up being the go-to person for anything that happens,” he said.
“As NZTR (New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing) makes any decision you’re the touchpoint as far as the trainers go.
“We have got a good executive who do their thing in their own regions and (Executive Officer) Wendy Cooper is very good and manages all day-to-day admin.”
Wellwood has taken charge at a time when the Establishment Board has brought together NZTR, the TAB and Harness Racing New Zealand to deliver a program of reform.
“For the next 12 months, we’ve got to be focussed on supporting them to work together and make sure we’ve got a good and viable racing industry,” he said.
“We have to play a support role in any way we can to get the right outcome.”
It will be a quiet weekend for Wellwood and training partner Roger James, with their team only having three runners at Sunday’s Te Rapa meeting, including black-type prospect Grinzinger Moon.
The Puissance De Lune mare is unbeaten in two appearances for the stable and will resume in the Skycity Hamilton Waikato Cup – Tickets On Sale Now Handicap (1100m) with a scratching required to beat the ballot.
“She’s come back well and is in nice order, whatever she does she will improve,” Wellwood said.
Her longer-term aims are the Listed Donaldson Brown Pegasus Stakes (1000m) and Listed Lindauer Stewards’ Stakes (1200m) during the New Zealand Cup carnival.
“Depending if she gets a start on Sunday, she may not run again until Riccarton,” Wellwood said.
Meanwhile, the stable was happy with the unplaced resuming effort of their Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) winner She’s A Dealer in last Saturday’s Gr.1 Proisir Plate (1400m).
“She had a bit of a hard run and covered a lot of ground but has bounced through it well,” Wellwood said.
“We’re glad we’ve got three weeks up our sleeves to get to the mile (Gr.1 Howden Insurance Mile) and perhaps even the 2000m (Gr.1 Livamol Classic), they will both certainly be right in her wheelhouse.”
Unfortunately, last season’s Listed Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre Stakes (1400m) winner Excite didn’t run up to expectations in his spring opener at Ellerslie.
“He’s well but fair to say we were probably a little bit disappointed with the performance,” Wellwood said.
“He only had a quiet 970m trial before going 1400m first-up and in hindsight we probably think he’s better ridden quietly.”
