Turner hoping to continue winning momentum
Oamaru’s meeting on Friday will kick off the new racing season for the lower South Island, and Riverton trainer Ebony Turner is hoping to continue her winning momentum.
She was once again in the thick end of the battle for the Gavelhouse.com Newcomer to Training Award last season and she was rapt to come out on top, with Benjamin King, Nayton Mitchell and Samantha Wynne all snapping at her heels.
“It was a nice relief,” she said. “It was a bit like last year.”
Turner recorded 12 wins last term, two more than her previous best tally, and she has been thankful for the support she has received.
“It was a really good season, and I am lucky and grateful to be supported by such lovely owners,” she said. “It has made all the difference having those higher calibre horses coming through the stable now.”
A couple of wins particularly stood out for Turner last season.
“Quick Tap’s (NZ) (Ripper Tap) double at Cromwell was pretty cool,” she said. “Having Penvose Lad (NZ) (U S Navy Flag) and him being so consistent the whole way through the season was great and then having him run in the Winter Cup (Gr.3, 1600m) where he ran a creditable 10th.”
Turner said Penvose Lad came through his Winter Cup run well and he is now enjoying a well-earned break.
“We have sent him away for six weeks in the paddock, he has been in for a while, so we felt he deserved a wee holiday,” she said. “When we bring him back, we might try him over 2000m.”
Turner is looking forward to heading to Oamaru on Friday where she will be represented by a trio of runners, including Deciphering Me (NZ) (Charm Spirit) in the Thanks For The Memories Oamaru Jockey Club (1600m).
“She is a funny wee thing,” Turner said. “She is a bit inconsistent, you don’t know what she is going to do. I can’t fault her on her work and stepping up to the mile should suit. Leah (Hemi, jockey) has ridden her for a second before so hopefully we can either go one better or match that again.”
McQueen’s Lass (NZ) (Staphanos) will be first-up for Turner in the Glenavy Hotel (1600m), where she will jump from barrier one with Rohan Mudhoo aboard. Oamaru’s track is currently rated a Heavy8 and that poses no concerns for Turner.
“Her work has been really good,” she said. “She seems to be happiest when she is left alone out in front. We are going to try that from barrier one and see how we go, but she has got plenty of ability, it is just getting her to apply it.
“She is a little bit unknown (on a Heavy track), she gets through it fine at home, so I am not too concerned about it. She has got a nice wet-tracker action, so I don’t think it will be an issue.”
Whooshka (NZ) (Per Incanto) will round out Turner’s Oamaru team in the Grains And Gain Co (1400m), and she said her unplaced run at Riccarton first-up was better than it looks on paper.
“She didn’t go a bad race at Riccarton, she just came to the end of it,” Turner said. “She has come through that run really well and she seems to be peaking. We would have preferred the mile, but she didn’t get into the mile, so we just opted for the 1400m and hopefully she is hitting the line strong.”
Turner is looking forward to the season ahead, particularly with exciting three-year-old filly Glamour Extreme (Extreme Warrior), who was an impressive debut winner at Oamaru last month.
“I am very excited about Glamour Extreme,” she said. “We have got a couple of things earmarked for her, starting with the 1000m at the end of the month at Riccarton, and then moving on to the Canterbury Belle (Listed, 1200m) two weeks later.”
Turner said she also has a few untapped youngsters in her care that she is hoping can put their hand up in the coming months.
“We have got a few young ones that are a bit unknown,” she said. “Terry Lines has got one with me called Torchem (NZ) (Turn Me Loose), a three-year-old that was quite exciting in his first start, so it will be exciting to get him back to the races.”
In the meantime, Turner is looking forward to heading to Auckland next month to receive her Gavelhouse.com Newcomer to Training Award at the New Zealand Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Awards.
We have got all our tickets, and we will head up there – myself, my partner, my worker, and my Mum and Dad,” she said.
