adminIt has been one of those seasons where the stable has found consistency by lacked that killer punch in 2024-25. Our numbers are solid with 34 winners, $752,160, S/R: 14% and as we sit 21st in the NSW Trainers Premiership but there is still an element of frustration as our feature races go by.
So how do we tackle this as we draw to the conclusion of the racing season?
The easy answer is train more winners. The racing landscape has changed so much in the west as the lower-middle market feels the financial pressures of a tightening economy and the city trainers are hanging onto their racehorses with all of their might. Prizemoney continues to rise, however most country trainers would agree that establishing themselves as key players on race day is becoming harder and harder. You will notice more trainers strapping their own horses, less marketing expenditure and reduced activity on auction sites like the Magic Millions, Inglis and Bloodstock Auction. This is the natural flow on from reduced owners in the market place and you no longer have the ability to buy your way out of the downturn to fill empty boxes and keep staff employed. We saw this coming and thankfully our sales debt is down from last year and we have found the ability to trade where it would be deemed as a high risk environment. The brains trust of Lundholm Lodge has adopted a slow and steady model for our spend and this has translated into our seasonal results. We have had less runners as a result however the winners have been filtering through at a steady rate that keeps the stable sustainable.
So what would be deemed as an acceptable return in 2024-25?
In previous years the flow of horses has been immense and this year we knew we were up against it. It was a solid start to the season as our warhorses won their last races of their careers however that kick along from the 3YO’s-4YO’s just wasn’t there through the summer months. We have had one of those frustrating runs recently where horses coming back from injury needed more time and some key retirements left us a little vulnerable. To the stables credit we have been able to turn cheques with a limited bench and the horses in work really stepped up when we needed them. We have had some great results which is a testament to the quality of our selection process and more importantly Lundholm’s training methodology. We all talk numbers and KPI’s when other stables shy away and that’s because you have to be held accountable to your owners and supporters. If we can kick past the 50 winners marker and push up around the $1.2M in stakes I think most of us will look around at each other and say great job.
