STEVE Englebrecht was born and bred in Muswellbrook and trained at the track for many years but cannot remember the last time he had a runner at Skellatar Park or even what it was.
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He left in the 1979-80 season and moved to Gosford for several years before establishing a highly-successful stable at Warwick Farm.
“It must be at least 30 years since I had a runner there but I go back regularly to Muswellbrook to see mum, so I still remember how to get there,” Englebrecht said.
Finally he is returning to the track where his career started and may well go back to his Warwick Farm stables with a winner.
Englebrecht will start the speedy filly Goldfinch in the Lone Pine Charge (1000m) on Friday with her regular jockey Deanne Panya to again ride her.
Goldfinch is the winner of three races from only 10 starts and drops 6kg for her close second to the Jan Bowen-trained Eminent Duke over 900m at Newcastle at her last start.
And, while Goldfinch has drawn perfectly in barrier three, Eminent Duke, also to run in the Lone Pine, will start from the outside barrier in the field of 10.
“The draw gives us options,” Englebrecht said.
“She is a filly that likes to free role in front and there is no point in trying to restrain her but if something else wants to go mad up front we won’t be trying to take them on.”
There is a reason behind Englebrecht’s decision to take Goldfinch to Muswellbrook.
“I plan to give her two more starts then turn her out for the winter,” he said.
“The first of those is a race over 900m at Newcastle then a Benchmark 80 at Randwick.
“The race at Newcastle is a Class Four and runners have to have had at least six starts on a provincial or country track in the past 12 months and she has only had five.
“This was the only suitable country race I could find to qualify her.”
Englebrecht’s long term hope is that Goldfinch will mature during the spell into a mare that gets 1200m.
“She is a big mare but has not yet grown into body properly,” he said.
“She is a strong but I think that once she matures she will be even stronger.”
Muswellbrook’s Luke Thomas, who has been training for less than 12 month, is looking forward to a big day to re-kick start his stable.
Thomas will have four runners including top weight Pleasure Bomb in the Miss Finland for two-year-old for fillies and Comes ‘N’ Goes in the Star Kingdom for two-year-old colts.
“We started really well last year and had five winners then a minor virus hit the stable so we had to wind right back,” he admitted.
“We re-evaluated everything and are ready to kick start again.”
Pleasure Bomb really bombed out on a heavy track in the Star Kingdom at Tamworth in October but resumed with a fighting second at Tamworth earlier this month.
Thomas also took Comes ‘N’ Goes to the Star Kingdom and rated him a top chance on his trial at Newcastle.
“We were really excited about his chances but he squeezed himself during the race and finished a long last,” he said.
“We got him home and he started to show signs of colic but when we got him to the vets they found he had damaged one of his testicles.
“Naturally he was gelded and given a good break and has thrived since then.
“We have had an opinion of him from the start and I really think he has a big chance.”
Comes ‘N’ Goes also resumed at Tamworth earlier this month and finished third to Pleasure Bomb’s second.
Thomas is just as bullish about Dragoneight, a new addition to his stable, in the Monteath & Powys Class One (1280m).
The horse was resuming and having his first start for the trainer when a good fourth at Tamworth.
“I broke him in and pre-trained him then sold him through a breeze up sale but I liked him so much I kept a share,” Thomas said.
“I didn’t have a trainer’s licence then so the horse went to Greg Hickman and did really well in his first preparation.
“Then he lost form and a lot of the owners wanted to get out but I convinced them, apart from Greg, to stay in him.
“He is thriving in the set-up we have here.”
Although Thomas is listed as a Muswellbrook trainer he works out of a private complex at Glendonbrook and goes to Muswellbrook twice a week for fast work.
“I have my own track, my own pool and big yards which the horses love,” he said.
“It is so quiet and so picturesque out here with the paddocks looking out over the mountains.
“How could the horses not like it out here?”
