FEATURE - Little-known trainer chasing spring Group I dream

Clinton Payne - Tuesday August 29

Most punters across the nation won't know a great deal about Newcastle-based trainer Rod Ollerton but that could all change in the weeks ahead.

Advertisement
NSW provincial trainer Rod Ollerton. Photo: Bradley Photographers

One of the great things about the big racing carnivals is that they throw up the odd 'David and Goliath battle' and that's what the 43-year-old and his stable star Royal Tudor are aiming to achieve down south in Melbourne this spring.

Ollerton has "been training for the best part of 20 years" and only trains "a handful of horses".

But he knows what it takes to figure at one of Australia's biggest racing carnivals having won the Group II Grand Prix Stakes at Eagle Farm with Spuruson in 2005.

"It's the first time I've taken one to Melbourne," Ollerton said.

"A trainer like myself doesn't have the big numbers so you just have to be patient and wait until one comes along that you think can measure up.

"We're probably lucky if we get three or four new horses come through the stable every year and they are not just yearlings either.

"The last carnival horse I had was Spuruson and that was more than 10 years ago so as you can see the odds aren't good and it means you can be a few years between a horse you can raise your sights with.

"Royal Tudor is a horse that's shown us good ability, he's tough and we're trying to see if he can go that extra yard.

"These are the horses' trainers like myself keep chugging away for until we find one. Bringing him down to Melbourne chasing a big race is the dream for blokes like myself."

That dream hasn't happened overnight and it's been a long road for Ollerton to get to Melbourne with Royal Tudor.

The son of Snippetson is a home-bred gelding by a stallion that's since been cast off to Western Australia and although a Scone maiden winner on debut, the early indications were not that he would be a future carnival contender.

Royal Tudor winning at Rosehill earlier this year. Photo: Steve Hart

"He used to do quite a lot wrong in his races. He was a bit like a big kid so we've been patient with him," he said.

"He won his first start but I didn't think he was anything great, I didn't have any real ambitions for him other than being a little bit handy and he might win a few races but he has just kept finding something," Ollerton said.

"In his second prep, he won in town and I thought he might win another one down there but it was his third prep when I thought he might be a bit more than handy.

"I remember galloping him one morning and he went to another level and I thought to myself 'he might have a good race in him this horse'.

"He's kept improving since. It's been a long process, a lot of planning has gone into it and we're here now so hopefully he can do what we hope."

Royal Tudor is now a five-year-old and he's won eight of his 21 starts including four in town, the most recent being his last start when beating Sir Bacchus and Old North at Rosehill on June 3.

On Saturday, he'll start the biggest preparation of his career when he contests the $150,000 Group III The Heath Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield where he is based during his Melbourne campaign.

"He travelled down good and everything I've seen of him indicates he's settled in as well as I could have hoped," Ollerton said.

"I got here last night, he looked really well this morning and he worked and felt pretty good this morning. I was quite happy with him.

"He's at that point now. He's on the brink so it's time to see if he measures up.

"He's a really big strong horse, an adaptable horse and generally as a rule the Snippetsons are tough horses which is exactly what he is – a good tough horse that relishes a fight, he can grind it out.

"Provided he runs well as progresses as we hope, the Sir Rupert Clarke is the race we have in our sights.

"I'm expecting him to run a solid race on Saturday. Naturally he'll benefit from the run but he's quite forward."

I think he'll give us a good show on Saturday, in the past he's coped with whatever I've ask of him so hopefully he can cope with this challenge I've set for the spring."

I'll give it my best crack boss. Photo: Bradley Photographers
Advertisment
More Reading...
Pedigree Watch - Powerhouse Godolphin 3YOs Dominate
The current crop of three year-olds running for Godolphin lay claim to being the best they have ever produced in Australia and three of those colts won Group races in Australia on Saturday so let’s take a look at those pedigrees.
Wootton Bassett Colt Leads Coolmore G1 Trifecta
The last British Group I race of the flat season was run overnight at Doncaster with Aidan O’Brien producing a trifecta of two year-old colts led by a son of the late Wootton Bassett (GB) in Hawk Mountain, who was too good for a pair of Frankel colts.
Undefeated 3YO King of Light Wins Listed Belgravia
Dan Morton's exciting three year old King Of Light (Earthlight) remains unbeaten in three starts, as the gelding graduated to stakes company with a scintillating first up victory in the Listed Belgravia Stakes on Cox Plate Day at Ascot.
Hi Yo Sass Bomb Wins G3 on Sunday
Kim Reid bypassed a Group One in favour of Sunday’s Gr.3 Gee and Hickton Funeral Directors Thompson Handicap (1600m) at Trentham with Hi Yo Sass Bomb, a decision that paid dividends when the mare led from the outset to claim her third stakes success.
Cream Rises at Trentham
A half-sister by Hello Youmzain (Fr) to dual Group I winner Mustang Valley, exciting filly Cream Tart is set to line up in one of the major three-year-old races over New Zealand Cup Week following her impressive win in Sunday’s Upper Hutt Car Sales LTD Three-Year-Old (1400m) at Trentham.
Sires With Winners - Saturday October 25
Here is the full list of 136 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Doubtland 2YO All On Red Smashes Them Again at Ascot
Widden Stud's Doubtland has a potential 2YO topliner in Perth in the shape of exciting WA colt All On Red, who remains undefeated from two starts after another comprehensive Ascot Saturday win.
Sale Cup Winner Adds to Fastnet Rock Super Weekend
It’s been quite the weekend for the late great champion sire Fastnet Rock with a Cox Plate quinella on Saturday and then on Sunday he produced a new stakes-winner when seven year-old gelding El Rocko captured the $200,000 Listed Sale Cup (1600m).
Transatlantic Takes $1million Five Diamonds Prelude
Transatlantic’s lucrative spring carnival continued at Randwick with an arrogant victory in the $1m Five Diamonds Prelude.
Yes Yes Yes 3YO Shooting for G2 on Monday
Last year’s Gr.2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m) set Savaglee up for Group One glory in Christchurch, and Matamata trainer Pam Gerard is hoping to follow a similar blueprint in 2025 with her Yes Yes Yes 3YO Affirmative Action..