Former top jockey Jamie Bullard made a successful transition to the training ranks when he prepared his first winner with the victory of All Or Nothing over 1250m at Ashburton on Friday.
Bullard, who rode over 1000 winners during a twenty two-year career in the saddle, has just four horses in work from his Riccarton Park base and broke through for his maiden success courtesy of just his second runner to the races this season.
He didn’t have high hopes of a victory for the Rusty Spur four-year-old, despite him making his raceday debut off the back of a runner-up finish at the Rangiora trials over 1150m back in July.
“He’s a big lump of a horse who can be pretty lazy at home so I wasn’t that sure just how he would go,” Bullard said.
“He’s going to make a fairly handy stayer so I did think if he could finish in mid-field first up it would be a nice enough effort.
“He surprised us all a bit with the win but we’ll definitely take it.”
Bullard prepares All Or Nothing for his partner Rochelle Lloyd and her brother Aaron and sister Nicky, who bred the gelding from their Viking Ruler mare, Silke.
“I’ve had him all the way through and we first trialled him up as a three-year-old about a year ago,” he said.
“He’s just needed time to mature and is still strengthening up so I hope he can on with it as he gets stronger.
“He can have a run in rating 65 company next time over 1400m and then we will see where we go from there.
“We also had a couple of nice trial winners at Rangiora last week so things are going pretty well at this stage.”
Bullard admits that watching racing at Hastings on Saturday brought back some fond memories, including his win aboard million-dollar earner Balmuse in the Gr.1 Kelt Capital Stakes (2040m) in 2004, however a return to the saddle is not in the offing.
“The racing at Hastings on Saturday was great but there’s no way I’d consider riding again,” he said.
“When I think of what I put my body through to make a racing weight I just shudder.
“I’ve found out that a good meal and a few beers is even more attractive these days.”
