Former jumps jockey Alan Browne can now add winning trainer to his resume after Captain Upham (NZ) (War Decree) broke through for his maiden win in the Palamountains Scientific Animal Nutrition Maiden 1600 at Phar Lap Raceway on Wednesday.
The five-year-old son of War Decree had three prior starts for Browne, for two placings, and he was rapt to get the win at the mid-week meeting.
“We knew there was going to be a bit of pace on. Kin (Kwo) gave him a peach of a ride, he didn’t panic, and he knew they were going to come back to him,” Browne said.
“It is good to get the monkey off the back. You are running seconds and thirds all the time and you are scratching your head. At the end of the day, you need quality animals around you to win races. I always knew this horse had a bit of quality about him and he will be alright over ground.”
Browne said the win was an emotional one for the stable, with Captain Upham having been bred and raced by the late Helen Ferguson, whose son Alex is continuing to race her horses.
“It is very emotional, I am rapt for the owners,” Browne said.
“Helen Ferguson passed away in December. She bred a lot of horses out of a mare called Oxford Aunt (dam of Captain Upham), which she won the Guineas Trial with a few years back. She bred a horse called Son Of Zac (stakes performer) out of her, who they sold for $400,000 to Australia. He ended up getting travel sickness and he died unfortunately.
“Helen Ferguson’s son Alex, who is up in North Canterbury, has taken the horses forward. He just wants to live out his mum’s dream. She always wanted to have quality horses running around and he wants to push on with her legacy to end the story.”
Browne’s first training win furthers the expat Irishman’s New Zealand story, having moved across to the other side of the world 20 years ago to try and further his riding career after facing limited opportunities at home.
“I went to the Irish Racing School when I was 15,” the 39-year-old horseman said. “I had about 10 to 15 rides in Ireland between flat racing and jumps racing and worked for some good trainers at home.
“It is hard to get a ride over there and Tommy Hazlett and Pam Gerard invited me out in 2005 for three months to ride jumpers. I stayed with them in Methven and rode a few winners. I rode my first win on a horse called Penny Rose for John Parsons at Ashburton and then I shifted to Christchurch where I met my wife.
“I ended up doing a bit of freelancing for Shane Kennedy at Riccarton and I rode a few winners, including Gargamel in the Grand National Hurdles in 2014.”
In all, Browne rode for 12 seasons in New Zealand, scoring 14 wins, including his memorable Grand National triumph.
Browne then elected to try his hand at training a small team before working outside the industry for a couple of years.
“I trained horses about five years ago,” he said. “I had good owners but the horses were pretty limited. I thought there was no point beating around the bush, so I ended up getting a job at the meat works in Belfast where I stayed for three-and-a-half years.”
Browne then felt the pull of racing once more and began working for Bruce Tapper out of Rangiora in January before taking over the barn in his own name at the start of the season.
“Bruce is still happy to support me with horses,” Browne said. “I am mainly pre-training and breaking in at Rangiora and I have got three or four racehorses in work.”
Captain Upham and his three-year-old unnamed full-brother make up half of his team, and he is excited about the future with the pair.
“I have got a full-brother to this guy at home, a three-year-old, that will be at the trials in November,” Browne said. “The owner asked me to give them a crack and see what I think.
“I took them to my stable in Rangiora, and between myself and the team I have got around me – chiropractors, vets, blacksmiths – we assessed them and rehabilitated them a wee bit and are getting the best out of them.
“I would love to see him (Captain Upham) over a bit of ground. I always knew he had a maiden mile in him, so the plan was to win a maiden mile. I don’t think he has got enough speed for a 75 mile, I think he would be a bit out of his depth, so ideally, he will go over a bit of ground now, maybe 1800m or 2000m.”
